Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson turned down head coaching opportunities last offseason, and while many expect him to take a job this offseason, it remains a possibility that he could stay in Detroit under Dan Campbell once again, according to a new ESPN report.
“Even with all that was reported above, some people I talked to in the league believe Johnson could return to Detroit,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. “And it doesn’t seem like a leverage play. That’s where he has been the past two cycles, and that could be the case again if his ideal head coaching designation isn’t there.”
Many are connecting Johnson to the openings with the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. The common thread with all three of these openings is that they have young, talented quarterbacks who are thought of highly in NFL circles. Caleb Williams was the No. 1 pick in 2024 and was viewed as one of the best prospects in recent memory, while Drake Maye was thought of highly as well and showed a lot of promise despite the Patriots’ record. Trevor Lawrence can be polarizing, but some believe he has not been set up to succeed. He is still a talented quarterback to work with for a new head coach.
However, there are reasons to believe that Johnson might not end up at any of those places, for one reason or another. With the Bears, they are interviewing a ton of candidates, including Pete Carroll, who could end up getting the job. With the Patriots, many view former player Mike Vrabel as the favorite for that job. As for the Jaguars, incumbent general manager Trent Baalke could be a reason for any candidate to not want to take that head coaching job. Many head coaches want to come in fresh with a new general manager, and Baalke was a general manager that many believed would be fired.
The head coaching carousel will play out in the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to see if Johnson ends up taking a head coaching job in this cycle, or if he waits another year and stays with the Lions.
