The Bears' 2025 schedule release video gives fans what they want: more Ben Johnson content.
The four-minute production features Ben Johnson's assistant, played by Emmy Award-winning actor and Chicago native Lamorne Morris, who makes the grave mistake of emailing the confidential schedule to everyone named "Ben Johnson" in the Bears marketing database.
Morris, with the help of current and former Bears players, spends the day around the Chicagoland area tracking down each Ben Johnson before they have a chance to view the schedule.
While the video is of course a comedic play on the commonality of Johnson's name, it also aims to introduce Bears fans to the first-year head coach, whose hiring on Jan. 21 created a high level of excitement around Chicago.
"Our goal with schedule release every year is to do something that's authentic to the Bears and the city of Chicago," Bears manager of social media brand integration Megan Greseth said. "At first it started as a joke that there are a ton of people with the name Ben Johnson — including some on our Season Ticket Holder waiting list. Then we started to think, 'is there something we could do with that for schedule release?' I've been sent emails for other Megans that work at the Bears and the idea snowballed from there."
Johnson made his acting debut for the Bears, shooting scenes both at Halas Hall and Wrigley Field, where he also threw out the first pitch April 19.
The video also gave Johnson a chance to personally connect with the Bears fanbase, while also humanize him and the group of players he's now leading.
While Johnson was the center of the plot, Morris — who famously plays Winston Bishop in the TV series New Girl — really stole the show with his comedic timing and sense of humor.
"We knew casting the role of Ben Johnson's assistant would make or break this production," Greseth said. "On the social team, we're huge New Girl fans, and knowing Lamorne is from Chicago, we threw out the possibility of having him do it. His ad-libbing and improv elevated the whole production."
The video starts off with Morris meeting receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet, who question the actor's newfound role as Johnson's assistant. In the middle of the conversation, Morris receives a call from Johnson himself, who asks his assistant to email him the top secret 2025 schedule while he's out at the Cubs game.
Morris obliges, only to immediately realize he's sent the schedule to dozens of Ben Johnsons across the Chicagoland area. Moore and Kmet give Morris the idea to track down all the emails and delete them before the schedule leaks.
The actor, who is a born and raised Bears fan, commended Moore's and Kmet's brief bits of acting, which marks the second consecutive year both players have been featured in the team's schedule release video.
"I'd say pretty good," Morris said of the players' acting skills. "You gotta meet people where they are. They're professional athletes … If they started acting today, I do believe they would have a bright future."
Morris then employs a series of friends to assist in his plan, including New Girl co-star and fellow Bears fan Jake Johnson — who narrated the 2024 schedule release video — quarterback Caleb Williams, receiver Rome Odunze, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, kicker Cairo Santos, linebacker T.J. Edwards as well as alumni Charles "Peanut" Tillman and Anthony "Spice" Adams.
Williams and Odunze have to bribe an 11-year-old for his tablet while Jarrett shows off his tackling ability on a schoolteacher.
Santos and Edwards have to take stealthier routes as the kicker sneaks through an office to grab a data analyst's cell phone and the linebacker unnoticeably drops a sous chef's phone into a pot of marinara sauce.
Having players involved in the schedule release video gives fans a peek into their personalities while adding to the athletes' excitement for the new season ahead.
"I think it's pretty cool," Edwards said. "Obviously, I think that means the season's around the corner, so we get excited about that, and I think any time you can just do something creative with the people in the building, the guys that we're in the locker room with, and just have fun with it and be ourselves, it's a good time. We can build up that excitement for the season."
The Bears also called on their own staff members and their children to take part as extras in the video, which required the participation of nearly 20 employees and 30 kids.
Over the last few years, the NFL schedule release has become a highly anticipated event. Each team competes to create the most entertaining and unique video to announce their slate of games. In 2023, the Bears produced an Emmy award-winning schedule release video, which centered around the popular Chicago-based FX comedy-drama, "The Bear." In 2024, the club paid homage to iconic movies that were filmed or based in Chicago, with Moore as the star of the production.
"This was the biggest schedule release we've ever attempted just in terms of the sheer number of talent and locations, and we wouldn't have been able to get it done without every single person in this building," Greseth shared. " From security, building ops, football communications, all of the staff members that volunteered either themselves or their kids as extras and so many other people. [Coordinating producer] Chris Yankton and his crew did an amazing job bringing the vision to life. This is one of the most collaborative projects I've ever been a part of at the Bears and the end product is a testament to everyone's hard work and dedication."
