The Detroit Lions will face their former offensive coordinator twice a year in the NFC North, as Ben Johnson left Motown to take over as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
During the offseason, Johnson was viewed as the consensus top available option on the head coaching market. General manager Brad Holmes was well aware of this, and wasn't surprised when Johnson began getting requested for interviews.
However, his ultimate destination of Chicago left the GM surprised. As a result, Johnson will try to elevate the play of 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and make the Bears into contenders in what is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
During a recent appearance on former NFL defensive end Chris Long's 'Green Light Podcast' Holmes admitted that Johnson's decision to head to the Windy City left him puzzled.
“Obviously there were multiple jobs that were open that cycle, and so I didn’t really know — I knew that he had interviewed with Chicago but he interviewed for a lot of the other positions too," Holmes said. "I didn’t really know which way it was gonna go. I was thinking Chicago would’ve been the last destination, or I was probably hoping that. But no, I didn’t really know that was happening until it actually — he accepted the job and we had a little talk briefly before he left, I was happy for him. He is a hell of a coach, man. They have a really good one up there. It’s just a little like, ‘Man, why Chicago?’"
The Lions' replacement for Johnson, John Morton, was on staff with the team when Johnson first took over as offensive coordinator. Because of that continuity, plus all of the team's returning talent, expectations remain high for Detroit's offense.
Brad Holmes on Ben Johnson leaving: Why Chicago? From @greenlight @DetroitPodcast
—-H/T to @officialctpod pic.twitter.com/BpK8F7laWo— Detroit Lions On SI (@AllLionsFN) June 12, 2025
While Holmes is expecting the offense to display some new wrinkles and evolution as with every year, he won't go as far as to say the team will metophorically "Change the locks," as Long suggested.
Rather, the Lions' fifth-year GM believes that the changes to the offense will be natural ones with Morton's new perspective in the mix.
"It's gonna be some new wrinkles, but I think in terms of the 'Change the locks,' that really comes from Dan," Holmes said. "He's looking to evolve it regardless, whether Ben was still here or not. I will say, just because John Morton and Ben were both there in '22 with Dan overseeing the whole thing, I don't see a lot of wholesale change. It's gonna be some evolution there just because that's how Dan is regardless."
