It was not revolutionary news when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be "intentional" with how he approached head coaching interviews. Later, Sports Ilustrated's Albert Breer passed along the criteria Johnson would have as he entertained head coaching opportunities.
"The Lions' offensive coordinator is planning on taking a very different approach to this hiring cycle than he has in the last couple", Breer said in early December. "He will not chase interviews. If he takes an interview it's gonna be with the intention of actually pursuing the job. And to that end, he has a couple criteria. No.1 he'll he looking for organizational alignment, in particular between the GM and the head coach. Then he'll be looking for recognition from the organization of the things that have gone wrong, and a willingness to fix them."
Johnson will of course be in great demand (again) for head coaching interviews, and with the Lions earning a first-round bye he can do virtual interviews this week. The Chicago Bears and New England Patriots have put in requests to interview him, and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero has reported he will interview for both of those openings.
#Lions OC Ben Johnson will interview for the #Patriots and #Bears head coaching jobs during this week’s bye — a sign he has real interest in both jobs. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/tDzqcyl9rz
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2025
Ben Johnson essentially turned down a head coaching job it was clear he'd avoid
There's a team that seems to be requesting interviews with everybody under the sun for their general manager and head coaching vacancies. So much so, that they didn't put in a request to interview Johnson stands out.
Supplementing her initial report about the New York Jets not being expected to put in a formal request to interview Johnson, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reinforced Johnson being intentional with interviews he takes.
Ben Johnson has made it very clear he’s not taking interviews with every organization looking for a HC. If the Jets had a better quarterback situation, there would be more interest. https://t.co/1jgZ9eYBuZ
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 6, 2025
Connor Hughes of SNY had added a layer to the Jets not asking to interview Johnson. As expected given the situation there, the Lions' offensive coordinator apparently, essentially, told the Jets not to bother.
Of course, as he has become a pretty well-known pusher of whatever narrative the Jets want out there about things, Hughes made sure to add a couple digs at Johnson.
Have heard Ben Johnson does not have interest in the #Jets vacancy, and has made that known.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) January 6, 2025
Not requesting to interview him indicates feeling is mutual, or not worth the time. Some questions on how he’d handle New York. https://t.co/BECmMiEpYX
It seems Johnson quickly made it known to the Jets he was not interested in their head coaching job. So they did the smart thing to not waste their time with a request to interview him. But Hughes added that the lack of a request to interview him indicates the "feeling is mutual", while adding questions about Johnson being able to handle New York, presumably within the overrated narrative of tough media.
This looks like something akin to "you didn't break up with me, I broke up with you first." Something a teenager might say, which may sum up the Jets' organization rather nicely.
It always seemed clear Johnson would have little or no interest in the Jets' head coaching job. It was shown firmly and very quickly when the interview request process opened, and they probably didn't like it. So along with the idea they won't ask to interview him comes the attempt to discredit and diminish him as a candidate. Which, unfortunately, we've seen before with Johnson.