Country music singer Chase Rice technically dated Jessica Johnson before Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson asked his best friend’s girlfriend to be his wife. Kind of. Not really.
They went to one dance together in middle school as dates.
If you have not yet heard about this unique NFL storyline, it’s a good one! We must start at the beginning.
Chase Rice and Ben Johnson are best friends.
There may not be a high school in the United States right now with more more notable alumni than A.C. Reynolds in North Carolina. It is the alma mater of Luke Combs, Rico Dowdle, Caleb Pressley, Chase Rice and Ben Johnson, among others.
Johnson and Rice specifically are very good friends!
The latter is set to perform the halftime show at Sunday’s NFL playoff game between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams. Johnson is, of course, the head coach for the home team. Rice might be his biggest fan.
“I have the Bears schedule in my calendar,” Rice said. “I had a whole setup in my truck. I’d set up the Starlink and I’d watch the Bears game sitting on the side of the road in Montana. That’s never happened for an NFL team. That wouldn’t even happen for college teams. I’m very, very dialed into watching them.”
These two famous figures first met when Rice moved to Fairview, North Carolina as a kid. They played on the same football team in middle school and very quickly became friends. Johnson and Rice later won a state championship at A.C. Reynolds— with the former at quarterback and the latter at linebacker. The offensive-defensive duo also played together at the University of North Carolina as roommates.
It’s one of those things where you don’t have to be blood to be family. Their well-documented friendship has become more of a brotherhood.
The head coach of the Chicago Bears stole his wife, Jessica, from the country music superstar.
Ben Johnson married his wife, Jessica, in 2014. They are high school sweethearts with three children.
However, she was first with Chase Rice before her husband. (I use the word “with” very loosely.)
Rice first revealed the hilarious connection during the Lions’ playoff run in 2024. He joked that he was “still mad” that Johnson “stole his middle school dance date from him and married her.”
Jessica, who obviously went by her maiden name Putnam at the time, was invited to the middle school dance by Rice. She accepted his invitation. They shared at least one slow dance together.
Rice would not necessarily qualify Putnam as his “girlfriend” but they went to the eighth grade dance as dates.
Not too long thereafter, after they got to high school, Johnson swooped in and asked Jessica out for real. She accepted his invitation despite going to the dance with his best friend in middle school.
The rest is history. Literally!
Ben Johnson is coaching in the NFL Divisional Round as the first-year head coach of the Chicago Bears. He has three children with Jessica, who went to the eighth grade dance with his best friend.
Chase Rice recently spoke about the metaphorical scoop-and-score. The country music star joked that Jessica made the right choice because, not only is Johnson a “better person,” he also makes more money!
There you have it. Ben Johnson stole Chase Rice’s girlfriend. Kind of.
Now Rice is performing at halftime of Johnson’s playoff game. Isn’t it funny how the world spins?