Ben Johnson has been widely viewed as the favorite to become the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is reportedly giving strong consideration to at least one other job.
Johnson is “deeply considering” the Chicago Bears head coach job, Josina Anderson reported on Monday.
The Lions’ season came to a surprising end on Saturday with their 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders. Detroit has already begun considering potential offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator replacements, as head coach Dan Campbell is preparing to lose both Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn.
Recent reports have indicated that the Raiders have built up a lot of momentum toward hiring Johnson. Tom Brady, who is now a part-owner of the team, has reportedly vouched for Johnson, which should hold a lot of weight within the organization.
However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Friday that he is not convinced Johnson has settled on taking the Raiders job. Schefter believes the Bears are still very much in play, which meshes with what Anderson reported.
The 38-year-old Johnson might view Chicago as a desirable landing spot for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that the Bears have a promising young quarterback in Caleb Williams. Johnson could also be hesitant to join the AFC West, where the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos all seem to have proven head coaches and quarterbacks.
Johnson was selective last offseason and ultimately decided to remain with the Lions. There has been talk of him doing the same again this time, but he seems closer than ever to leaving Detroit.
