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Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson has 'a burning desire' to be NFL head coach
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- Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson has 'a burning desire' to be NFL head coach
Ben Johnson hasn't found the right opportunity to leave for a head coaching job yet, but the Detroit Lions' in-demand offensive coordinator said he still wants to be a head coach one day.
"I'd say this," Johnson said Thursday at the Lions' facility in Allen Park. "I think there's a burning desire in every man to find what he's made out of and push the limits and see if he's got what it takes. And so yeah, there's a fire there. Now, when that time is? I don't know, when that'll be, but there's certainly a fire there."
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Johnson interviewed with five teams and turned down the chance to speak to a sixth last winter, when he decided to stay with the Lions to pursue the "unfinished business" of winning a Super Bowl .
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, right, talks quarterback Jared Goff (16) before a play against Buffalo Bills during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024.
He was widely considered the favorite to land the Washington Commanders job when he informed the team he was withdrawing his name from consideration after the Lions' NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers .
Johnson also interviewed with the Carolina Panthers , Seattle Seahawks , Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons last season and declined an interview request with the Tennessee Titans due to his schedule.
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In 2022, he declined an in-person interview with the Panthers when he was considered the favorite for that job.
Currently, three NFL teams are looking for new head coaches — the New York Jets , New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears , the Lions' opponent this week — and several more jobs are expected to open after the season.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches a play against Tennessee Titans during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.
Johnson, one of the smartest, most creative play callers in football, has been mentioned as a top candidate for the Bears , who are 4-10 and have lost eight straight games but have a host of young offensive talent.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and Chicago has talented skill players in receivers D.J. Moore , Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze , another first-round pick in April.
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Asked how appealing a new coach would find Williams, Johnson was complimentary of the Bears QB but said he hasn't studied his film. Williams is completing 61.9% of his passes this season and has thrown for 2,937 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Williams has not thrown an interception during the Bears' eight-game losing streak.
"Listen, it's been difficult to sit down and just study every throw but plenty of crossover tape over the course of the year and there's no question this guy's talented," Johnson said. "I remember standing on the sideline last game and just you can hear the ball whistle by you. He's got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him, can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well. Like I said , I haven't really dove in and can tell you much more beyond that, but he's been impressive from afar."
Johnson said he feels "much more prepared" to handle whatever interviews come his way this offseason but is too focused on his job as Lions coordinator to worry about his future for now.
The Lions (12-2) are tied for the best record in the NFC with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles , but will get the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and a first-round bye if they win their final three regular-season games.
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"Last couple years, getting thrown into the coordinator role, things get on you fast and you don't really have time to think about the future a whole lot," he said. "Now that I've been through the ringer a couple times, had some interviews, I certainly do feel more prepared just from a big-picture standpoint.
"But right now, I mean, we've got three games left in the regular season, going into the postseason, and honestly this is why I'm here – this is why I wanted to be here. I have an obligation to the people in the building to be right where my feet are and when I walk in, I see the coaches staying long nights and working as hard as they're doing and I come in and I see the guys, the players, in the meeting room and on the practice field, attacking each day like they are, it's hard for my mind to wander much beyond what we're doing in the here and now."
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions' Ben Johnson still has 'a burning desire' to be NFL head coach
