Ben Johnson decided to remain Lions offensive coordinator for at least 2023, but will he regret not taking a head coaching job this year?
Ben Johnson was a first-year offensive coordinator and play caller for the Detroit Lions this year, after raising his stock from tight ends coach as the passing game coordinator late in the 2021 season.
The Lions were a top-five scoring and total yardage offense this year, and Johnson was in heavy demand as a head coaching candidate. But before he could even have his third schedule interview, last Wednesday (Jan. 13) with the Carolina Panthers, news broke he has told teams interested in him he was staying in Detroit.
Talk culture, continuing to build something special in Detroit or whatever, it comes down to this. Johnson reportedly got a significant raise to stay on as the Lions offensive coordinator. It’s still not the money a head coach would get, or the multi-year security that a head coaching contract usually comes with, but credit to the Lions for doing what they had to to keep Johnson at least one more year.
Make no mistake, we will be right back here with head coaching buzz around Johnson a year from now. Most likely anyway, as long as the Lions have a prolific offense again next season. There is a case for this year being the peak of his stock as a head coaching candidate, only to go down from here.
Here are three seasons Johnson will regret not taking a head coaching job this year.
3 reasons Ben Johnson will regret not leaving the Lions for a head coaching job this year
3. Failure to fully flesh out opportunities this year
Johnson interviewed with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, and it feels certain the Arizona Cardinals would have put in a request to interview him if they had general manager Monti Ossenfort hired two or three days sooner. There was buzz about him as the top candidate for the Panthers job, and he may well have been offered it eventually.
But being offered a job doesn’t mean you have to take it. The Panthers have not yet completed their head coaching search, due to a delay in the interview process out of respect for a tragedy with the MLS team in Charlotte that David Tepper also owns.
There was truly no harm in taking the interview with the Panthers. Unless Johnson was somehow afraid Tepper would make him an offer he couldn’t have refused, when in his heart he wanted to stay with the Lions. From the 10,000-foot view, and without knowing at all, it feels like interviews with the Texans and the Colts turned Johnson off continuing with any more head coaching interviews this year. In some sense, that would be understandable.
But sometimes, going completely through a process is helpful. Johnson could have benefited from doing all three of his initially scheduled head coaching interviews this year.
It’s fair to wonder if bailing on the Panthers’ interview the day before (per when the report came out) will be a bad look which follows him as a candidate moving forward. It’s not to the level of Josh McDaniels bailing on the Colts the day of the intro press conference, but it’s hard to spin it positively for Johnson.
2. Key Lions players set to regress
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been open about the huge impact Johnson has had on him, and his strong finish to the last two seasons coincides with Johnson’s increased role (2021) and having key pieces healthy this year so Johnson could use his whole playbook.
The case for the Lions being hesitant to give Goff a contract extension is rooted in this season being one of the best of his career, on the heels of three years of regression. He’s not as bad as he was early in 2021, but not as good as he was over the final 9-10 games this season. He’ll enter next season with the fifth-longest streak of pass attempts without an interception in NFL history (324). There may be nowhere to go but down from here.
Jamaal Williams was the Lions’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2013 this year. He also set the single-season franchise record for rushing touchdowns with 17. He is a free agent, with sure-fire mutual interest in him being back in Detroit. Another 1,000-yard season could happen, if he has the lead back role again. But 17 rushing touchdowns is not sustainable, no matter where Williams is playing next season.
The Lions red zone proficiency in 2022 (45 touchdowns on 68 trips; 66.2 percent) was rooted in Williams’ goal line prowess. Even if he is back, there will be gap there to be filled elsewhere next season.
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.