For the second year in a row, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could have been hired as a head coach, but has chosen to forgo the opportunity and remain on the staff in Detroit.
The Lions are still smarting from their NFC Championship game defeat against the San Francisco 49ers, but their outlook for next season got a lot better on Tuesday, when Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network broke the news.
It had long been assumed that after declining to take a job last season, Johnson would go this season, and the Washington Commanders were a heavily rumored landing spot for his services.
The fallout from this decision is massive, with huge positive implications for the Lions and a new wrinkle in the searches of the two teams still looking to fill their head coaching vacancy.
What Does This Mean for the Lions in 2024?
The Lions now have a much better shot to return to the playoffs and build on the progress that they've made this season.
Johnson has built a reputation as one of the top offensive minds in the game, and it's one that he's earned with the results Detroit's unit has delivered in the two seasons under his watch.
Johnson's return means the Lions are at no risk of having to hope an internal hire can replicate the success that he had these past two years, or risk making an outside hire that alienates the players or otherwise falls short.
No new offense to learn for quarterback Jared Goff. An elite offensive line with key pieces returning. A play caller who knows how to perfectly leverage his two running backs, strong number one receiver, and emerging rookie star tight end. The Lions are a legitimate number two wide receiver away from truly having it all on the offensive side of the ball.
Whether the impetus for the last two years of Johnson's decisions is his own desire to win in Detroit or due to the convincing of head coach Dan Campbell, the fact that Johnson is staying speaks very positively of the culture Campbell is building in the Motor City.
That kind of culture is what attracts top free agents and trade targets, and oh by the way, the Lions have all of their draft picks and at least $58 million in cap space to use to convince those players to join. Buckle up.
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Where Will the Commanders and Seahawks Look for Their Next Hire?
While these two teams still have openings, only one of them was ever going to get Johnson to sign on prior to today's news, and in all likelihood that would have been the Commanders.
So if Seattle's search is unchanged by Johnson's call, then Washington is the team that now has to pivot.
This is complicated by the fact that Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, seen as the next best option in terms of young offensive minds, agreed to a new deal to get a raise and stay in Houston today.
Slowik and Johnson were the only offensive coordinators that Washington interviewed, so it looks like now the Commanders will either be going with a defensive hire or a veteran head coach.
One possible option could be current Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn completed his second interview with the Commanders today, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Prior to his tenure in Dallas, Quinn was the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks before an up-and-down tenure as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
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