Raiders Consider Lions OC Ben Johnson As ‘Lead Candidate’ In Head Coach Search

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has reportedly emerged as the leading candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job. Johnson interviewed with a number of teams during the Lions’ playoff bye last weekend, and impressed the Raiders’ organization.

Despite garnering massive attention among rebuilding teams entering their off-seasons, Johnson’s sixth season with the Lions is far from over. His future prospects will not be on his mind for as long as the first-seeded Lions are still kicking.

“I’m going to stay focused on the main thing right here, and that’s going to be the Washington Commanders,” Johnson said during a press conference Wednesday. “That’s what we’re about. [Dan Campbell] asked me about how it went this weekend. It went great, and that’s the end of it. The focus right here and now for the players, for the coaching staff and for everybody in this building is about this game this week.”

After kickstarting his coaching career at Boston College and later rising through the ranks with the Miami Dolphins, Johnson arrived in Detroit in 2019 as an offensive quality control coach. He accepted roles as the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator before finally landing the offensive coordinator job in 2022, one season after Campbell was hired as head coach. The two have since worked together to turn the Lions’ offense into one of the best in the league.

With an elite offensive background in an increasingly scoring-oriented league, Johnson would be a natural target for any number of struggling teams in the league. The Chicago Bears are looking to build a new scheme around young quarterback Caleb Williams. 

The Jaguars have been trying to find a complement to quarterback Trevor Lawrence for years. The Jets are about to begin another rebuild, something Johnson saw firsthand in Detroit. From countless angles, his time with the Lions has made him a universally desirable head coaching hire. Prospective teams, on the other hand, offer little more than problems to fix.

Like their fellow cellar mates, the Raiders have their own share of dysfunction. They have a certain allure as well, however. Moving from Oakland to Las Vegas has put the team at the center of a new sports market. Tom Brady just bought a minority share in the team and is taking an active role in shaping the organization. Tight end Brock Bowers is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons in the history of the position, working with almost no support around him.

Despite a horrific 4-13 season in 2024, there is enough happening in Las Vegas to tempt a coach like Johnson to sign on. The team is reportedly searching for a new quarterback, which could allow Johnson to immediately begin to shape his own offense in his first season as head coach. There’s very little that he would have to inherit, as there’s very little the Raiders would want to keep from past coaching regimes. 

For now, Johnson’s coaching future is unknown as he concludes his epic run with the Detroit Lions. But if he chooses to step out on his own when the music finally stops, Las Vegas is one of many teams that seem content to leave the light on for him.

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