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It’s been a few years in the making for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to become a head coach for an NFL team. The only hold up has been about Johnson finding the right fit or not. However, if there’s a job opening, there’s a good chance that there’s some issues with that team or the job would never be open.
Recently, Johnson completed an interview with the New England Patriots. It’s been reported that he interviewed well (per Dianna Russini ) but it’s unclear if he were to consider that job or not. If he did, it would make quite a bit of sense.
He would take over a historic franchise with a potential franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. Add in the fact that they’ve got some talent on defense and he could have them winning much sooner than expected. The only hold up is that Ben Johnson is still coaching and the Patriots apparently want to resolve their coaching search by the end of this weekend.
We will wait and see what happens there.
In addition to interviewing with the New England Patriots, it’s been reported that Johnson will interview with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars today. Those interviews may not matter though because new details are emerging that the Las Vegas Raiders could be the team that Ben Johnson coaches for next season.
Could this be the spot for Lions OC Ben Johnson? Kinda feels like it.
Tons of draft capital, projected over $100 million dollars in cap space and an open QB room for the guy he wants/needs.
Here’s what Tom Brady said about Johnson in October on Fox (
: @freep ) https://t.co/eYI5L5fiw5 pic.twitter.com/JBy9T09y7W
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 9, 2025
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Sources around the league have indicated that the Raiders are enamored with Johnson. So much so, that they’re willing to wait for him. Much of the reasoning behind their liking for Johnson is due to Tom Brady. In October of 2024, Tom Brady became a partial owner of the Raiders and it’s been reported that he will have a big influence in the decision making for the organization moving forward.
During the Lions and Cowboys game in October, we saw Tom Brady in the broadcast booth with Kevin Burkhardt on the FOX broadcast. During the game, Brady showed a lot of love for Ben Johnson and the Detroit Lions. After the game, he talked even more in-depth about Johnson and what he loved about his play-calling.
“I’d love to be the quarterback in this offense, it’s so much fun,” Brady said. He followed up by saying, “Again, there’s a lot of variety to choose from….so when I look at this offense, it reminds me of a what a great offense should be in the NFL.”
Certainly, many people will say that Ben Johnson should not become the head coach of the Raiders. The reason being — they’re so far away from being a complete roster that it will make it tough for him to win right away. Especially with such a competitive AFC West division. All of that makes sense.
As the #Raiders HC search kicks into gear, one name to watch: #Lions OC Ben Johnson.
The organization is said to be enamored with him, and Tom Brady’s personal touch has helped.
My story: https://t.co/tW4Smk3Wit https://t.co/tW4Smk3Wit
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2025
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On the contrary, this is a Raiders franchise that will have over $100 million dollars in cap space and an open quarterback room for whichever guy Johnson sees fit to run his offensive system. Keep in mind that the Raiders seem willing to spend whatever the price tag is for Johnson to become their head coach. Additionally, the Raiders do have some key pieces that Johnson can build around when constructing his roster.
For starters, he’s got Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins on defense. He’s been part of a Lions team that has built their defense from the ground up, and it all started with drafting players such as Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Josh Paschal and others. With the amount of cap space they’ll have, it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s some money spent on reshaping the defense and building around Crosby and Wilkins.
As for the offense, it’s clear the Raiders hit a home run by selecting tight end Brock Bowers. He had the best rookie season of any tight end in NFL history and he’s already earned First-Team All-Pro honors in his first season. Paired with Bowers is wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and they’ve got an adequate offensive line that is led by left tackle Kolton Miller.
The key hold up with the Raiders is what direction they go at quarterback.
We could see them add a veteran quarterback such as Daniel Jones or make a potential trade for Kirk Cousins. Either player could serve as a potential bridge quarterback. If Johnson is lucky, maybe Jones develops into the guy for him. Either way, he’ll have options at quarterback especially since the Raiders will have plenty of draft capital.
They have 10 total picks in the 2025 NFL Draft and that includes the 6th overall pick in the first round. Could they move up for quarterbacks such as Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward? Anything is possible.
One thing is for sure, Ben Johnson is starting to feel more and more like a fit for the Raiders than any other team. In previous years, it always felt like Johnson was going to stay in Detroit for the foreseeable future. But the future is now and the pairing of Johnson and Vegas could be inevitable.