Ben Johnson is in no particular hurry to leave the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been a hot head coaching candidate each of the last two years. Frankly the job openings were not that appealing in 2023, for reasons that were easy to see, but the opportunities looked better this year.

Johnson of course chose to stay again, reportedly telling the Washington Commanders he was withdrawing from consideration when they were in-flight to interview him and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. The Commanders seemed like a great fit, but their attempt to slander Johnson after he turned them down showed they were not.

Leaving a good, comfortable situation as a coordinator for a head coaching job is not without risk. If it doesn't work out, a second chance to be a NFL head coach may never come and your career track as a coach can be altered irretrievably.

Johnson is clearly not going to leave the Lions for just any head coaching job. We have two hiring cycles of evidence that proves it, though it is worth wondering if his opportunities will eventually go away. His key part in the success the Lions have had over the last couple seasons of course makes it harder to leave.

Ben Johnson is clearly in no hurry to leave the Lions

Johnson spoke to reporters for first time this offseason on Thursday morning, before the day's OTA practice. He talked about an analogy Dan Campbell made late in the 2021 season , about being in the Artic with the Carribean on the horizon (h/t to SI.com).

"The story of my career has been living in that Arctic for a lot," Johnson said. "That was the second time I'd been in the playoffs, the first time I'd experienced winning games in the playoffs. I think when it boils down to it, I wanted the sunshine a little bit longer. That's really what it comes down to for me. I like the sunshine, I like what we've built here, starting with ownership, the GM on down. We have a great group of guys in the locker room, and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer."

Johnson also talked candidly about a potential future head coaching opportunity.

"If I get the opportunity to go down that road, it's about, how do I get to that second contract? How do I set myself up? The stars need to align," Johnson said. "I'm not gonna do it just to do it. I love what I'm doing right now, love it. I love where I'm at, my family loves where we're at, love the people that we're doing it with. I'm not willing to go down the other path yet unless I feel really good about how it's gonna unfold."

The culture Campbell has built easily extends to his assistant coaches, who don't want to leave unless it's an ideal opportunity or another non-football circumstance drives the move. Johnson is not in any hurry to leave Detroit, and he won't do so unless/until the right head coaching opportunity comes.