The architect of the NFL’s best offense will be calling plays for someone else next fall.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is finalizing a deal to become the Chicago Bears’ next head coach, the Free Press has learned.
The Lions were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday by the Washington Commanders. Johnson became available to be hired after the loss.
Johnson had virtual interviews with four teams during the Lions’ first-round playoff bye, the Raiders, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots.
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, a member of their team Hall-of-Fame as a player, earlier this month, while the Raiders, Jaguars, Jets, Saints and Cowboys jobs remain open.
LOOKING AHEAD:With Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson heading to Chicago, his replacement might be in-house
Johnson was considered the top coaching candidate on the market last winter but turned down second interviews with two teams to stay in Detroit and pursue a Super Bowl. He said in December he still hoped to be a head coach one day and changed agents after last season to assist in his pursuit of a job.
“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,” Johnson said in December. “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.”
Johnson interviewed with five teams and turned down the chance to speak to a sixth last winter and 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 winter and declined an interview request with the Tennessee Titans due to his schedule.
In 2022, he declined an in-person interview with the Panthers when he was considered the favorite for that job.
Initially hired as an offensive quality control assistant under Matt Patricia in 2019, Johnson has had a meteoric rise with the Lions and is widely considered one of the brightest offensive minds in football.
Dan Campbell retained Johnson as tight ends coach on his first Lions staff in 2021 and promoted Johnson to pass game coordinator midway through that season after stripping then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn of play-calling duties.
Johnson took over as coordinator in 2022, and the Lions have averaged a league-best 29 points per game over the past three seasons.
This year, the Lions finished in the top six in passing, rushing, scoring and total offense and finished with a franchise-best 15-2 record. They led the league in touchdowns and scored 40 or more points six times as Johnson meshed a high-powered rushing attack with creative use of personnel. He was known to call trick plays at any time in any situation, and this year ran a hook-and-lateral to right tackle Penei Sewell and designed a play that called for Sewell to throw the ball.
“I’ve been a lot more prepared for the types of questions that they’ve been asking (in this hiring cycle),” Johnson said before the Commanders game. “I’ve also changed my frame of mind a little bit and instead of worrying solely about the offense and what we’re doing right here, I’ve been able to have offseasons and summers to think about, big-picture view, what a program would look like where I’m running it. And so, I think that way, I’m a lot more prepared for the questions that come my way and I’m much more comfortable answering them.”
It’s unclear if the Lions will stay in-house or look outside the organization to replace Johnson, though how far they advance in the playoffs could limit the pool of outside candidates.
Offensive line coach Hank Fraley could join Johnson in Chicago as coordinator, though Johnson plans to continue calling plays, pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand has previous coordinator experience in college and the XFL, and receivers coach Antwaan Randle El interviewed for the offensive coordinator job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn also is a top coaching candidate this hiring cycle. Glenn interviewed with five teams during the Lions’ bye and is considered one of the favorites for openings with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
