Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will be in high demand for head coaching interviews again after this season, and he will surely take those opportunities to some extent. We can rule out a couple job openings that won't appeal to him, including the Carolina Panthers as indications point to them making another run at him,
It's not a lock Johnson takes a head coaching job for 2024. He could choose to stay in Detroit again if there's not a fit. But it is a matter of time before he's gone to a head coaching job, and he won't put it off to stay that much longer.
As good a work has Johnson has done with Jared Goff, and the strong relationship the two have cultivated, it's interesting to think about what the Lions' play-caller could do with a quarterback who has high-end physical tools. Sorry Goff truthers, that's not him.
Possible head coaching opening Ben Johnson reportedly prefers is no surprise
Jason La Canfora, now of the Washington Post, will report some things that were already out there some times. In a recent piece highlighting the Baltimore Ravens coordinators possibly being in-demand for head coaching jobs, La Canfora added that Johnson's preferred head coaching destination would be the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers possibly having interest in Johnson, as they move toward inevitably firing Brandon Staley, is not a fresh rumor. Joe Person of The Athletic recently reported that many in league circles expect the Chargers to have the Lions' offensive coordinator atop their wish list of candidates to replace Staley.
And the Chargers' job would easily appeal to Johnson. Justin Herbert is 25 years old (26 in March), with an early-career production resume through nearly four seasons that lands well in NFL history. It's fair to say his surroundings have failed him thus far, as the Chargers continually do "Chargers" things on the sideline and on the field. Some analysts still want to reach to criticize him though.
If Johnson is ready to leave the Lions for a head coaching job after this season, and he may very well be, the Chargers look like a great fit. That job currently stands as the one Johnson would be most likely to leave Detroit for after this season, and it could easily stay that way.
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