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The Detroit Lions are in the midst of the best period in modern-day franchise history right now. Much of the credit goes to head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, but former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was a big part of that success too.
Johnson, the hottest coordinator on the head coach market following both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, took a head coaching job with the rival Chicago Bears this offseason. It’s considered a big loss for the Lions, but it may be an even bigger loss than many people think!
Johnson, 38 years old, revolutionized the Detroit offense into one of the best and most balanced attacks in the league over the last three years as the offensive coordinator and years before as an offensive assistant in Detroit. Of course, it helped that he had one of the premier offensive lines in the NFL and an elite skill group in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams, etc. But, he took advantage of his personnel and created an offensive monster.
The Chicago Bears needed a head coach just like Ben Johnson, and paid big money to get him. The foundation of a great roster is still in place in Detroit, but losing Johnson is a big loss for the Lions, who made a surprise exit from the playoffs in their first playoff game, a Divisional Round loss to the Commanders.
Just how big of a loss? According to The Athletic, one unnamed NFL exec had this to say.
“Ben Johnson took total advantage of the four-down game-management approach because he’s a really, really good play caller, an evil genius, really,” another exec said. “Losing him would almost be like the Rams losing Sean McVay.”
That’s high praise, as McVay is thought of as one of the best offensive minds in the history of football. The odds are stacked against Ben Johnson being that good in Chicago, not because he isn’t a great mind, but because McVay is a high bar.