Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will return for the 2023 season amid rumors of leaving for a head-coaching job, according to multiple sources.
Johnson was being considered as a top candidate to fill up one of the head-coaching vacancies in this year’s off-season. The 36-year-old led the Lions offense that finished fourth in the league averaging 380.0 yards per game.
Johnson had already interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, both teams announced. He was also scheduled to interview with the Carolina Panthers, but ahead of that interview, it was announced Johnson would be staying in Detroit.
This is a big announcement for the Lions as the offensive coordinator played a big part in the Lions offensive boost this year. After the promotion of Johnson, the Lions offense went from scoring 19.1 a game to 26.6, ranking 5th in the NFL.
The Lions down the stretch of the season were one of the hottest in the NFL, winning eight of their last ten. The excitement around Detroit is rising, and that could potentially make the Lions an attractive free agent destination.
The Uprising of Ben Johnson
Before Johnson was the Lions offensive coordinator, he had filled many positions. However before that, Johnson was a former walk-on quarterback for the University of North Carolina.
Johnson, before spending any time in Detroit, was a coach in Miami, where he spent seven seasons. During that tenure Johnson filled many positions, including assistant quarterback’s coach, tight-end and wide-receiver coach.
It was also during this time Johnson first crossed paths with now Head Coach of the Lions, Dan Campbell.
After his time with Miami, Johnson was named the Lions offensive quality control coach in 2019. In 2020 Johnson would be named the tight-end coach, and in 2021 was retained by his friend Campbell.
Prior to the 2022 season, Johnson replaced Anthony Lynn as the offensive coordinator, a decision made by coach Campbell.
It is clear that Johnson has built a relationship with the Lions as he stated he feels Detroit is “building something special and wants to see it through.”
Reactions to the Announcement
Once the announcement was made that Johnson was staying with the Detroit Lions there were rejoicing reactions. A mixture of exciting reactions from players and fans filled up social media.
Of course, we should start with some of the players’ reactions, and one honorable mention would be Amon-Ra St. Brown’s reaction.
In St. Brown’s rookie year he spent a lot of time under Johnson, and after Johnson’s promotion to offensive coordinator, St. Brown exploded. St. Brown went to Instagram to show his appreciation for coach Johnson.
Other players, like cornerback Chase Lucas, took to Twitter to announce his excitement for Johnson’s return, calling him a “genius”.
There were also many fan reactions once the announcement went live, and we’ve gathered a few.
It is clear there is a lot of excitement within the D for the return of Ben Johnson.
