There are only two NFL head coaching openings left now, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson seems like a lock to take the Washington Commanders' job once the Detroit Lions' season is over. Unless every reporter you can find is wrong, and of course it's not a done deal right now. A second, in-person interview with Washington is coming after Sunday's NFC Championship Game.
The Seattle Seahawks have also not hired a new head coach yet, and the were the sixth team to request an initial interview with Johnson. On Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Seahawks will also come to Detroit for a second interview with Johnson early in the coming week.
From @NFLGameDay: The #Lions may make QB Jared Goff a rich man (again) this offseason, while his impressive OC Ben Johnson is getting visits from the #Commanders and #Seahawks this week. pic.twitter.com/HIaDprMPRN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 28, 2024
It has been out there that Johnson preferred the Commanders' head coaching job to at least one he was a strong candidate for-the Carolina Panthers (rightfully so, truly). Where the Seahawks land on that spectrum for him is unclear, but he is apparently not eliminating himself from consideration for the job in Seattle just yet.
Ben Johnson to the Commanders is still the most likely scenario
All the tea leaves from reputable reporters are pointing to Johnson being the next head coach of the Commanders. Something happening other than what all the reports are pointing toward wouldn't be unprecedented, but it would be a surprise here. And yes, that includes him staying on as the Lions' offensive coordinator.
But the Seahawks are not giving up on the idea of Johnson being their next head coach, which is the proper due diligence on their part in their search to replace Pete Carroll. Unless Johnson declines that second interview with them, on the idea he's a "lock" to be the Commanders' head coach, there's a small percentage things change and the Seahawks can sway him their way.
Still, the Commanders have a lot of good things to sell Johnson and they've apparently done so to the point the sources for a bevy of reporters are saying it's the expectation, a "foregone conclusion" etc. But the door remains cracked open for another outcome, and the Seahawks are keeping their hat in the ring right to the end.