Even though there has been so much noise about Ben Johnson and the Las Vegas Raiders that it seems as if it is fait accompi that the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is headed to Sin City, at least one league insider seems to be pumping the brakes on that being a given.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighs in on the Ben Johnson sweepstakes in his latest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. And I feel as if Chicago Bears fans are going to want to check this out:
"I know everybody has Ben Johnson anointed to the Raiders but I'm not in that camp right now..
I don't know where he's gonna go but he's gonna have three realistic options..
Why is everybody ignoring Chicago when it comes to Ben Johnson" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/oFuvEbdGrz— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 17, 2025
Words from Schefty:
I know everybody has got Ben Johnson anointed to the Raiders, but I’m not in that camp right now. I’ll have to see it before I believe it. … I don’t know where he’s gonna go but he’s gonna have three realistic options. But why is everybody ignoring Chicago when it comes to Ben Johnson? Why has that just been dispelled? I don’t get it. What am I missing here?
I know that this Raiders freight train has gathered a whole lot of steam. And I don’t want to slow it down because it could happen. He could be the coach there. But I am not convinced just yet that that’s the way it’s going to be.
When guys like Adam Schefter speak on Bears business, I listen. With that being said, my takeaway from the clip above is in line with what I have been feeling all along in that nothing is done until it is done. As I wrote yesterday: Maybe Ben Johnson to the Raiders Isn’t a Sure Thing After All.
Football fans who followed last year’s hiring cycle closely remember how the narrative-building portion of that part of the offseason had Ben Johnson locked in as the next Washington Commanders’ head coach. And yet, Johnson circled back and returned to the Lions.
Ultimately, I’ll believe Ben Johnson is landing with Team X, Y, or Z when I tune into a press conference and see it with my own eyes.
When it comes to Ben Johnson, hope is a dangerous thing
In addition to the words from Adam Schefter on Pat McAfee’s show, fellow ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler weighs in to back his teammate’s stance:
In the end, it sounds like Ben Johnson is keeping his options open. That would make sense. Maybe keeping his options open allows him to leverage the Bears, Jaguars, and Raiders into getting what he wants out of this whole ordeal. Whether it is power, cash, organizational pull, or something that has yet to come to my mind. That Johnson has a slew of suitors puts him in the driver’s seat to get whatever he wants. And if he doesn’t, he can always return to the Lions and do this song and dance again next offseason.
With that being said, I am vibing with the sense that the Bears are still very much in play for Ben Johnson. A recent report had Chicago’s search for a new head coach down to a “two-horse race” between Johnson and Mike McCarthy. That very well could be the case. Although, I am not ruling out any wild cards or unexpected openings. The NFL is too unpredictable to whittle things down too closely when it comes to head coach hiring around the league. Stay tuned. And keep your head on a swivel.
