This is as close as you’ll get to an NFL insider throwing cold water on the hot rumor of Ben Johnson becoming the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach.
Twitter/X user @DaBearCave1920 shares this clip from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which seems to cast some doubt on the idea that Ben Johnson to the Raiders is a certified lock:
Adam Schefter talking about Ben Johnson and the situation with the #Raiders #Bears pic.twitter.com/cj0QPlT0yu
— Da Bear Cave 🐻⬇️ (@DaBearCave1920) January 15, 2025
The words from Schefty that stand out the most from the video above:
“If he takes the Raiders job, he is now going to a division where the head coaches are Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh. And the quarterbacks are Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, and Justin Herbert. And you are going to a team that doesn’t even have a quarterback, doesn’t have a draft pick to go land a quarterback, and has to find a way somehow to get a quarterback. So, good luck with that. Again, Ben Johnson is going to take one of these jobs. But could you imagine bypassing Jayden Daniels and then taking the Raiders job over that? … The Raiders have so much ground to make up right now, especially in that division.”
The realist is that someone is going to fill that Raiders head-coaching vacancy. And it very well could be Ben Johnson. However, Schefter lays out some fair points that could lead Johnson to pump the brakes. Adding the perspective that Detroit’s OC turned down an opportunity to coach Jayden Daniels to go to a situation with no quarterback, no clear path to one, and a rocky road of divisional foes just because of Tom Brady’s siren song puts a different spin on things. Again, Johnson could still land in Las Vegas. But perhaps it isn’t a stone-cold lock.
What’s the deal with the Raiders and Ben Johnson?
For what it’s worth, Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) believes it will be the Raiders hiring Ben Johnson as their next head coach or a return to the Lions as the team’s offensive coordinator. As a Bears fan, I’m not sure which scenario I would want to play out for this team.
Would I rather lose Johnson to a Raiders franchise that is in the same boat as the Bears in terms of being an iconic NFL franchise that is mired in mediocrity and a shell of its former self? Losing out on Johnson to an inept Vegas franchise would sting. But I imagine it would strike a bigger blow to the egos of folks at Halas Hall if it were to happen. Or would I rather Johnson return to the Lions where his play-calling could continue to torture Chicago’s defense?
My gut instinct tells me that Ben Johnson is most likely going to land in Vegas. Perhaps this is just me bracing myself for a worst-case scenario. But it is impossible to ignore the signs and the new wave of rumors that have come about connecting Johnson and the Raiders since it was reported that Tom Brady has been wooing the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. However, following the NFL for as long as I have leads my brain to remind me that nothing is official until it is officially official. I figure we’ll get more clarity on Johnson’s situation as early as January 20, when coaching candidates with active NFL contracts can begin interviewing in person.
Even still … the Bears (or Raiders … or anyone else) cannot have in-person meetings with candidates until their respective teams are eliminated. So I suppose you’ll be rooting for the Washington Commanders this weekend, right? Or are you rooting for the Lions because you’re already tired of the narrative surrounding the idea that Chicago’s football team picked the wrong quarterback No. 1 overall? In either case, one narrative gets closer to dying this weekend. And not a moment too soon in my book.