Before the Washington Commanders eliminated the Detroit Lions from the NFC playoffs last weekend, there was a time when many thought Ben Johnson would be their next head coach, not Dan Quinn. Johnson was the betting favorite to take the Commanders’ job last offseason after the Lions were eliminated in the NFC title game.
A new owner, a new front office, a top pick in the draft, and plenty of money to spend in free agency. All the stars were aligned for Johnson to make the leap into his first head coaching job and land in Washington.
Instead, Johson surprised everyone, including the Commanders, who had to pivot to their ‘Plan B,’ Dan Quinn, when he decided to run it back in Detroit. As it happens, Quinn has worked out pretty well for Washington, but if Ben Johnson wanted that job, it would have been his.
For those wondering why Johnson turned down a seemingly perfect opportunity in D.C., Johnson shared some insight on Wednesday, admitting that he let his emotions get the best of him after Detroit was eliminated on the cusp of a Super Bowl berth.
“A year ago, it was a similar situation in terms of being ejected from the playoffs prematurely how we saw it, and as my emotions got the better of me at that point, I decided that I wanted to come back and take another shot at that in Detroit. This year, during the offseason and summer, I was able to do a lot more thinking and go through the process in my head of what it would look like as the head coach, and I just felt a lot more comfortable making that jump this time regardless of how the season ended in Detroit.”
That’s an honest response. That’s a competitor admitting he was emotional over losing in the NFC Championship, being that close to a Super Bowl appearance, and deciding he wanted to run it back and handle his unfinished business.
It’s also the level-headed version of himself, reflecting on his life and career during the offseason after that emotion wore off and deciding that he was ready for the next chapter after the 2024 season, regardless of how things played out in Detroit.
Both parts of that answer are authentic and relatable for all of us.
Ben Johnson admits his decision to stay in Detroit helped better prepare him for this opportunity
But Johnson’s decision to return to Detroit this season wasn’t solely fueled by his competitive spirit and determination to see the Lions quest for a Super Bow through. Johnson knew he had unfinished business off the field, too.
Johnson was asked today how he plans on calling the Bears’ offense and managing all three phases of the game, and he pointed to his decision to return to Detroit last offseason as one of the reasons he feels ready to balance that now, whereas he didn’t last year.
“When you’re the head coach, you have to be involved defensively, and you have to be involved on special teams. That comes with the territory. So, when you talk about last year and why I went back to Detroit, part of the reason was I had not fully comprehended how to make that all work. I’m in a much better space right now in terms of time management how I can be involved with all three phases; the whole key to this is being able to tie them together and play complementary football and, so I will be heavily involved with both the defense and special teams as much as offense.
“It’s going to be critical that I hire people that have some experience here in this league who I can lean on and trust. Defensively, there are a number of guys I want to talk to, and really, it will be predicated on who we decide to go with and what that defense will look like.”
Johnson has been rumored to have a strong interest in former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, but today’s comments made it seem like there are still conversations to be had on that front. We know that to be true because, minimally, Johnson needs to interview two minority candidates in person for the defensive coordinator job before he could hire Allen. Still, Allen’s experience in the league as a head coach and his success as a defensive play-caller fits Johnson’s description of what he’s looking for on that side of the ball.
With Johnson coming to terms with his desire to become a head coach regardless of what happens this season with the Lions and his extra year of seasoning on the game-management front in the books, he believes he’s ready for the challenge that awaits him at Halas Hall. Johnson said that the level of respect that he garnered from his former players in Detroit and the conversations he had with people in that building cemented that belief.
“What gives me confidence is the players I was just with and the respect level they had for me along with the people I worked with in that building [in Detroit] that would come up to me time and time again and ensure me that I’m ready. Chris Spielman, Mark Brunell, the people that were with me and saw me in front of the room, saw me in the meeting room, they believe in me, I believe in myselfโI’m ready for this next challenge.”