Another hornet’s nest was kicked over this week when Raiders owner/NFL on Fox lead analyst Tom Brady was seen with a headset on in the coaches’ box. It’s opened up another line of questions as to whether or not Brady can keep conflicts of interest aside in performing both roles. But Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson apparently isn’t bothered.
Not only was Brady pictured on national television with a headset on, but ESPN’s Peter Schrager also said that he actively consults with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to work on game plans. The NFL had placed broadcasting restrictions on Brady, like facility visits and production meetings, once he took the ownership role with the Raiders, to prevent him from accessing sensitive information from teams. But those rules were relaxed in the lead-up to this season.
Even though Brady’s conflicts of interest have faced renewed scrutiny from the likes of Marcus Spears and Boomer Esiason, so far nobody in the NFL has raised a protest.
And if there was anyone who should, it would be Ben Johnson.
Tom Brady will call America’s Game of the Week on Sunday between the Bears and the Dallas Cowboys. Next week, Johnson’s Bears will face off against Brady’s Raiders. But Johnson thinks Brady won’t learn anything special from calling his team’s game the week before they meet.
“I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal”
Ben Johnson on viral clip of Tom Brady in the booth on Sunday👇 pic.twitter.com/LiURJEXvPo
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) September 17, 2025
“Like I said, I’m really not worried about it,” Johnson said. “We change week to week in terms of what we do. Schematically, he’s going to be able to turn on the tape and see what everyone else in the world is seeing right now. Personnel wise, really the same thing.
“It’s not like I’m going to sit down with him and tell him, ‘Hey, don’t do this to Caleb Williams or you might get it. There’s not going to be any trade secrets that are exchanged. I just really don’t think it’s that big of a deal to be honest with you,” the Bears coach added.
In fairness to Ben Johnson, he’s got a lot to be worried about after losing his first two games as the Chicago Bears head coach in varying circumstances. After the Bears blew a fourth-quarter home lead to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, they were blown out of Ford Field by their old team, the Detroit Lions, in Week 2. Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense have shown minimal signs of improvement, while their defense has been shocking. At this point, Tom Brady may not even need any inside info by the time Week 4 rolls around.
But it does run counterintuitive to how the NFL usually operates 99.9% of the time. NFL coaches are typically very cautious about any piece of information that could fall into the wrong hands, be misinterpreted, or reveal anything even remotely resembling a coaching strategy or direction. Just look at how there’s so much subterfuge around things like injuries and depth charts. To be so laissez-faire about an owner having access to players and coaches the week before a game must be a sign of a kinder, gentler, more relaxed NFL.
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