Ben Johnson Has Made A Decision About His NFL Future

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been one of the hottest head coaching candidates over the past two offseason cycles after turning around one of the most downtrodden franchises in the NFL.

The Lions finished the 2022 season with a hot streak and rode that spark to the NFC Championship Game in 2023 behind Johnson’s play-calling and the success of quarterback Jared Goff.

Multiple teams inquired about Johnson this offseason and he was in contention for the remaining head coaching jobs with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, but the Lions assistant has reportedly decided to remain in Detroit for at least one more season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

#Lions OC Ben Johnson informed the #Seahawks and #Commanders that he’s staying in Detroit, per sources.

Johnson is still only 37 and will be a hot head coaching candidate again next year. But first, he wants to take another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Detroit. pic.twitter.com/lPg2Po33sx

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2024

This is a similar situation to what happened in 2022, as Johnson was reportedly a top candidate for the Carolina Panthers’ head coaching job before he decided to return to the Lions and attempt to lead them further than they went that season.

Johnson succeeded in that endeavor after Detroit finished with a top-five offense had a huge halftime lead over the San Francisco 49ers in the conference title game before failing to score for most of the second half and eventually losing.

This bodes well for the upstart Lions, who should return most, if not all, of their important offensive players in 2024 between Goff, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and tight end Sam LaPorta.

And if Johnson produces another quality season, he will likely be a top head coaching candidate in 2025 and could have his pick of jobs when they inevitably open up.

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