Bears set to hire assistant quarterback coach Matt Aponte |
Dustin Riese
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- Saturday, February 15 2025
Things have recently picked up after nearly two weeks of minimal news surrounding the Chicago Bears. Adding former Kansas City Chiefs LB Swayze Boseman may have been the biggest news, but Ben Johnson's work is starting to steal the show again.
While everyone patiently awaits the completion of his staff, Johnson has continued to work to bring in as many coaches as possible. You saw that on Friday when Oregon State offensive line coach Kyle DeVan was brought into Chicago to most likely work with the offensive line. Adding college-level coaches may not be the ideal approach for most organizations. Still, DeVan has previous playing experience in the NFL and has worked with Offensive Line coach Dan Roushar. Saturday marked another hire for Johnson on the offensive side of the ball, as Matt Aponte and the Bears are close to an agreement. While the move or job title hasn't been made official yet, Aponte is expected to work with the quarterbacks and other aspects of the offense, as that is where most of his coaching background comes from. Currently a coach for the University of San Diego, Aponte has been the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the past few seasons, which is a big reason why the Bears brought him in. Johnson has always said he was looking for coaches with previous play-calling experience. Although Aponte may not have NFL play-calling expertise, he does have college play-calling experience. Aponte also has a track record of working well with developing young quarterbacks, so he will likely have some input on Caleb Williams and what he would like to do beyond this upcoming season. Before arriving in San Diego, Aponte filled various offensive roles with the Iowa Hawkeyes for seven seasons (2014-2020). Although his NFL experience was limited, he did work as a scouting and operations intern with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2015-2016 season. We have been talking about the connections this coaching staff has had together all offseason long. Aponte has some prior relationships with the Bears, as he spent time with Ryan Poles during his two years in Kansas City. While the Bears are looking at his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach work, he also worked as the Tight Ends coach with San Diego in 2023, which shows the versatility he could have on this staff. Before anyone judges this hire and why it's good or bad, let's dive into what the Aponte offense looked like under him last season. In 2024, Aponte directed a San Diego offense that saw quarterback Grant Sergent score a Pioneer Football League-best 26 touchdowns, which ranked ninth in the FCS during the regular season. Sergent totaled 2,403 yards that year and threw only five interceptions. The competition he faced had something to do with it, but you still have to perform no matter who you play, and Aponte had Sergent playing at a high level for most of the year. Aponte’s passing game also helped wide receiver Ja’seem Reed earn 2024 PFL Offensive Player of the Year honors as he finished in the top 10 nationally in total touchdowns, yards, and receptions. One season before that, Aponte mentored true freshman quarterback Don Nankil from his college debut to a selection as a finalist for the 2023 Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision. There is a reason he landed on the FCS top 30 coaches under 30 list: he was the youngest offensive coordinator in the nation. When you look at Johnson and his overall success as an offensive coordinator, Aponte reminds you of him a little. He is a young offensive mind like Johnson, knows how to develop a quarterback, and brings out the best in everyone on the system. It will be interesting to see what Aponte will be doing on the Bears, but it's evident that Johnson loves what he does from a developmental side.
