For a time as last year's head coach hiring cycle went on, Ben Johnson and the Washington Commanders felt like a perfect match. Then, after Johnson removed himself from the process when their brass was in-flight to Detroit for an in-person interview, the Commanders went to some length to use media allies to slander Johnson. This nugget from a piece in The Athletic stood out.
"He is considered a coach who prefers holing up in his office, coming up with game plans and playing with mad scientist vibes rather than leading a locker room."
There were also reports Johnson didn't do well in his first interview with the Commanders, yet they were traveling to interview him in-person.
As this year's hiring cycle neared, that flimsy "mad scientist" narrative was put to bed.
Johnson's side of the story with the Commanders sort of came out, with a report he lamented "basketball guys" in their ownership group. Principal owner Josh Harris also owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, and Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson is a minority partner. In a broad sense, the two sides were simply not a fit.
The Commanders found a head coach who was a better fit in Dan Quinn, and it's safe to say it worked out this year as they head into facing the Lions in the Divisional Round.
Commanders slander Ben Johnson again, for some reason
As mentioned, the Commanders made sure to get their agenda out there after Johnson apparently rejected them to stay with the Lions. The story should be over, even as the Lions and Commanders head for a playoff matchup and it becomes a "storyline". It's too late for any meaningful additions to the story.
We know why reporters might sit on things they know beyond when it feels relevant. Attention, fueled by timing. They also might be fed it by a source when relevance is renewed. With that in mind ahead of Saturday night's Divisional Round game, Commanders insider Lake Lewis Jr. dropped this story on Tuesday's edition of the "Ramblin With Rio Robinson" podcast.
"I don't know if it's been talked about publicly, but this is the story I got. They were en route. They were en route to Detroit for the interview in conversation with Ben Johnson. It was brought up that Ben Johnson still wanted Sam Howell. That's who he wanted to be the quarterback for this offense. And, you know, there's [North] Carolina connections and all that stuff. And Adam Peters was like "No" because they knew who they were going to draft. And we all knew who they were going to draft. He didn't want him. So if there's anybody that should be upset, it should be Jayden [Daniels]. Kudos to Adam Peters for saying no, this is the quarterback you'll have to work with. It was Adam Peters that said turn that plane around."
Lewis probably knew that story had never been revealed publicly. So that's a bit disingenuous right there.
#Lions OC Ben Johnson wanted former #Commanders QB Sam Howell to be the teamβs QB in which GM Adam Peters told Johnson that he was drafting a QB, via @LakeLewisJr.
β brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) January 14, 2025
Adam Peters made the decision to turn the plane around, cancelling the interview
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(π₯:@Rio_Robinson91) pic.twitter.com/AbFMfhVR33
The Commanders were in easy position to draft a quarterback No. 2 overall in last year's draft, and of course they took Jayden Daniels. That also has worked out well, and they traded Sam Howell to the Seattle Seahawks.
Johnson may have preferred Howell remain as the Commanders' quarterback if he was going to take the head coaching job there. But it's also hard to imagine he would have automatically rejected the idea of working with whatever rookie quarterback they ended up drafting. Also, even if Peters wanted him, it was not necessarily a guarantee to be Daniels in January of 2024.
The idea of general manager Peters calling for the plane en route to Detroit to be turned around comes with an important caveat. They did an in-person interview with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn in Detroit the same day.
So which is it? Did Johnson reject the Commanders when they were on the way to Detroit, as was roundly reported a year ago? Or did they cancel the interview when he made it known he preferred Howell over any drafted rookie, and turn the plane around? It really can't be both, and the fact they still interviewed Glenn in Detroit says the plane did not turn around.
Apparently the Commanders just can't be happy with how their situation turned out. A supposed new opportunity to slander Johnson came, before the playoff matchup against the Lions, and they took it.
Johnson knew the Commanders were not a fit for him, one way or another. They have proved it again by feeding a reporter a story that gets flimsier the more you dive into it.