Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson limited his head coaching interviews to jobs he would actually take, as he should have. One of those jobs is already filled, leaving three openings he interviewed for open.
The recent buzz has tied Johnson to the Las Vegas Raiders, who have pulled out every stop to court him and give him what he's looking for in a new organization. Of course nothing is done until it's done, and no one can do an in-person interview with Johnson (or hire him, of course) until the Lions are out of the playoffs.
For all that's out there pointing Johnson to the Raiders, things can change very quickly and the other two teams (the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars) he interviewed with are not out of the race to hire him just yet. Another team (the Dallas Cowboys) may enter the mix when they can.
Ben Johnson still a top candidate for a head coaching job that's not the Raiders
Appearing on "The Herd With Colin Cowherd" on Thursday, Fox Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz talked about one team's ongoing head coaching search.
"For all intents and purposes, the Chicago job, it is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson," Schultz said. "I think if Brian Flores goes in and wows them, then he is still in that mix. But right now, I think McCarthy and I think Ben Johnson are the two leading candidates for Chicago. "
.@Schultz_Report says the Chicago Bears head coaching search is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson pic.twitter.com/Y4x0lx6iP8
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025
Schultz noted how the Bears need to find the right head coach to fit with quarterback Caleb Williams. Cowherd noted how Williams confirmed his preference for an offensive-minded head coach during his appearance on Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast this week.
“Selfishly, I want an offensive-minded guy so I can build with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years, and so I can also learn and grow and things like that from him and what he’s seen and what he’s gone through with other QBs or been around,” Williams said.
Williams continued by saying he wasn't married to having an offensive-minded head coach, citing the need for a "grand scheme coach" as he referred to the Thanksgiving Day loss to St. Brown and the Lions in Matt Eberflus' final game as Bears' head coach.
Johnson ending up with any head coaching job may boil down to the team that's willing to wait to hire him until after the Lions' season is over. The Raiders, Bears and Jaguars all should willingly wait to hire him for as long as they have to, but it's unlikely all three will if the Lions win a couple playoff games.
So Johnson is widely seen as the Raiders' No. 1 candidate, far above any others, and he's also part of a "two-horse race" for the Bears' job. All the reporting is absolutely credible, but the insight Schultz put out there on Thursday just proves the uncertainty about what will happen with the Lions' offensive coordinator.