The offseason is here for the NFL teams that didn’t make the playoffs, and some of those teams are looking for a new head coach. The hottest name in the market right now is Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Johnson has been a major part of the recent Lions surge, and he is destined to become a head coach. In fact, he has four interviews set up for this week as Detroit has a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
“Sources: #Lions OC Ben Johnson — the top candidate in this year’s cycle — is scheduled to interview with four teams and has set up virtual meetings as follows: – Raiders & Patriots on Friday – Bears & Jaguars on Saturday,” Jordan Schultz said in a post.
It was a big surprise last offseason when Ben Johnson decided that he wanted to return to the Lions instead of taking a job as a head coach. He was a hot commodity then, but after another extremely impressive season, he is certainly the most sought-after target.
The Lions finished the regular season with the best scoring offense in the NFL and the second best total offense ranking. Johnson has this unit clicking on all cylinders, and his creativity with play-calling makes this offense one of the most fun units to watch in all of football.
Unfortunately for the Lions, it looks like this will likely be the last season that Ben Johnson is the offensive coordinator in Detroit. He clearly has interest in being a head coach as he has these interviews set up, and he’s too good of a coach to not be leading a team.
The Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Those are the teams that Johnson will interview with this week. Let’s take a quick look at all four of them.
Raiders
The Raiders finished this season with a 4-13 record and they came in last place in the AFC West. Vegas has whiffed on some recent hires, but getting Ben Johnson would give the fans something to be excited about. Johnson can get his quarterback in the NFL Draft, and things could be on the rise in Vegas.
Patriots
The Patriots just finished up another disappointing season, and like the Raiders, they moved on from their head coach after just one season. New England finished with a 4-13 record and they came in last place in the AFC East. However, rookie QB Drake Maye showed some promise and he could excel in a Ben Johnson offense.
Bears
The Bears fired their head coach in the middle of the season, and that fan base wants Ben Johnson badly. Chicago finished in last place in the NFC North with a 5-12 record, and the Windy City is more than ready to have a football team that gives them something to cheer about. Rookie QB Caleb Williams has provided some excitement for the Bears, and a head coach like Johnson could be exactly what he needs to reach his full potential.
Jaguars
The Jaguars looked like they were built for sustained success a couple years ago, but after a bad collapse to finish last season, Jacksonville was never able to get things trending in the right direction again. Perhaps Ben Johnson can come in and right the ship after an ugly 4-13 campaign.
Ben Johnson still has a lot of work to do with the Lions as Detroit is the one seed in the NFC and they are hungry for a Super Bowl. However, it is clear that Johnson is thinking about the next step in his career.
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