3 reasons Ben Johnson will regret not leaving the Lions for a head coaching job this year

1. The curious case of Byron Leftwich

Leftwich has felt like a future NFL head coach for a few years. Working with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay as the offensive coordinator raised his stock more.

Last year, Leftwich removed himself from consideration for the Jacksonville Jaguars job (the franchise he was drafted by and played part of his career for). That was reportedly due to front office dynamics attached to them keeping Trent Baalke as general manager. He was not the only candidate to theoretically turn away from that job because of the insistence on keeping Baalke, but Leftwich practically turning the job down when he was considered a favorite for it was notable.

A year later now, Leftwich is currently unemployed. A rough season for the Buccaneers and the offense, as Brady often wasn’t sharp, the offensive line struggled and the run game was usually atrocious, led to a coaching staff housecleaning shy of head coach Todd Bowles.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, during an episode of “Pro Football Talk Live” last week, noted Leftwich in questioning Johnson’s decision to stay with the Lions.

Via Heavy.com:

"This could be a factor of, he really didn’t think he was gonna get a job this cycle, right? This is another one of those predictive narratives that people in our business just kind of lazily throw out there. ‘Well, he’s sure to be a hot candidate again next year.’ Are you sure? Byron Leftwich was a hot candidate last year. He ain’t one this year. The world changes quickly in the NFL, every season is different,” “When the window is open, you better try to get through it because that window may be slammed shut a year from now, it may be your only chance.”"

Things can change dramatically in one year. If Goff regresses, or Williams (assuming he’s back) regresses (I’d put solid money on the latter), the Lions’ offense will naturally have efficiency and production gaps to fill.

A better backup quarterback (if Goff were injured, or benchably ineffective), or D’Andre Swift staying healthy and stepping up, would theoretically help fill those regression gaps. But this year looks like it’ll be about as good as it gets for the Lions offense as its currently constructed, with nowhere to go but down if everyone is back in their same roles.

Johnson’s stock as a head coaching candidate would be impacted in line with any drop-off for the Lions offense next season. And if that drop-off is dramatic….well, look no further than Leftwich for how far someone’s star can fall one year to the next.