As the fruits of the NFL grapevine nearly burst with rumors linking Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Raiders, there’s a far more simple (and far less juicy) reality.
He’s still very early in the process of making a decision about next year.
As one source with knowledge of the situation explains it, the effort remains squarely in “phase one.” Information is being gathered on Johnson’s behalf, while Johnson fully focuses on his current job — preparing to face the Commanders tonight in a divisional-round playoff game.
He interviewed virtually during the postseason bye week with the Raiders, Bears, Jaguars, and Patriots. (The Patriots have since hired Mike Vrabel.) Johnson’s fourth option, unless other teams (like the Cowboys) come to the table, is to stay put.
“Alignment” with the front office continues to be the biggest factor. The greatest current chance for that comes in Las Vegas, where the team fired G.M. Tom Telesco two days after firing coach Antonio Pierce.
It’s widely believed in league circles that Raiders minority owner/Fox primary broadcaster Tom Brady wants Johnson. And, currently, it would seem that his best options are to take the Raiders job or to stay where he is for another season, at a minimum.
The problem with the Raiders is the current quality of the roster, especially since the other three teams in the AFC West made the playoffs this year, with one of them chasing a third straight Super Bowl win.
And while Johnson won’t be demanding that teams like the Bears or Jaguars fire their General Managers, the simple reality is that, if either of those teams want him, that could greatly enhance their chances of getting him. It’s also possible that, even without the positions becoming vacant, Johnson could be offered enough juice to ensure the alignment he’s looking for.
The Bears and Jaguars are attractive for other reasons, starting with their quarterbacks. Johnson turned Jared Goff into a guy Sean McVay couldn’t wait to get rid of into a franchise player whose name the fans loudly chant. What could Johnson do with Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence?
Ultimately, the Bears and Jaguars need to ask themselves how badly they want Johnson, and whether they’re willing to do whatever they think they need to do to lure him there.
While some teams might have shied away from Johnson because they don’t want to have to recruit him, Johnson is the rare candidate who, given his choices, needs to be recruited.
For now, it’s still early. If the Lions lose, Johnson can take face-to-face interviews this week. If they win, the teams that conducted virtual interviews can talk to him in person after the conference championship. The Cowboys can’t speak to him at all until Detroit’s season ends, however, since they didn’t conduct a virtual interview during the bye week. (The same rule applies to the Saints and Jets, neither of whom requested permission to interview Johnson during the bye week.)
None of that will stop the rumor mill from churning. For Johnson, things are moving much more slowly than the ever-changing NFL news cycle.
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