Four NFL teams have quickly emerged as front-runners to land Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach.
The 38-year-old Ben Johnson is in his third season as the Lions’ OC under head coach Dan Campbell. Like last year, Johnson is a hot candidate in the NFL head coach hiring cycle and already has four interviews lined up.
Per FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Johnson has interviews scheduled with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots on Friday. Then on Saturday, he’ll speak with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Raiders and Patriots fired head coaches Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo after Week 18, respectively. The Bears will not retain interim HC Thomas Brown (he replaced the fired Matt Eberflus), and the Jaguars handed Doug Pederson his pink slip after three seasons.
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:
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 8, 2025
– Raiders & Patriots on Friday
– Bears & Jaguars on Saturday pic.twitter.com/qO1VZKCZSl
Ben Johnson has been on the Lions’ coaching staff since 2019, beginning as their offensive quality control coach under Matt Patricia. He was then promoted to tight ends coach before taking over as the passing game coordinator in 2021.
Also Read: REPORT: Former Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh Set To Receive Coaching Offer From Interesting NFC Team
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In 2022, Campbell promoted Johnson to the OC position. Detroit has finished with a top-five scoring offense every year under Johnson, including No. 1 this year (an average of 33.2 points per game).
Ben Johnson Has A Head Coaching Job If He Wants It
For almost a decade now, the trend has been for teams to hire a young offensive-minded assistant for their head coach vacancy. Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Kevin O’Connell, Mike McDaniel, Nick Sirianni and Matt LaFleur are shining examples of the trend paying off.
Johnson has played a pivotal role in helping the Lions emerge as an NFC juggernaut, having secured their second straight NFC North division title. As long as he wants a head coaching job, Johnson will get one for 2025.
