In less than a week, the Las Vegas Raiders have gone from a head coaching job that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would probably not prefer to the one he very well might take. And it may be the only one he'll take with all it can offer him. They clearly think very highly of him, and are doing what it will take to hire him.
According to Pro Football Post, Johnson not only impressed the Raiders with his football acumen during his first interview, but he also "came incredibly prepared with a clear direction he believes he would be able to go with his coaching staff." That aligns with previous reporting that Johnson was a little better prepared for the interview process in this hiring cycle, notably including how he'd assemble a coaching staff.
Report suggests Ben Johnson to the Raiders is basically a formality
On Wednesday night's episode of "The Insiders", NFL Network's Ian Rapoport talked about Johnson and the Raiders.
'"The people who are associated with the Raiders job, I’m talking other candidates, I’m talking agents, people are the NFL, there does seem to be an acknowledgement that Ben Johnson is the leading candidate and there a lot of people who, frankly, think he is getting it,” Rapoport said. “They are not done. They certainly have not done the requirements that would allow them to hire a coach and he’s not even able to be officially hired until after the season. But it does seem like that is the direction that it is heading.”
The Raiders have interviewed Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. So technically, assuming Rapoport is referring to the Rooney Rule, they have satisfied the "requirements" that would allow them to hire a head coach whenever they saw fit to do so.
But Johnson can't be interviewed in-person until the Lions' season is over, or during the week off between the conference title games and the Super Bowl, and of course he can't be hired until the Lions' season is over. In his previous report that said the Raiders are "enamored" with Johnson, Rapoport added they are willing to "wait as long as it takes" to secure their future head coach.
Of course nothing will be all the way done until Johnson is standing at a podium in front of a curtain with Raiders' logos all over it being introduced as their next head coach. But all the stuff that's out there matching the two is impossible to dismiss, and Johnson may be coaching his final games with the Lions.
