Detroit Lions likely headed to 2024 offensive coordinator search after major report on Ben Johnson…

Detroit Lions likely headed to 2024 offensive coordinator search after major report on Ben Johnson…

A new report suggests the Detroit Lions are once again going to have rival teams looking to poach offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and this time around it may be even more difficult to hold on to him.

For a second straight season, the Detroit Lions have one of the very best offenses in the NFL. They are second in total yards, sixth in points, third-best in the league per game when it comes to big plays, and are ranked fifth in our latest NFL offense rankings.

A lot of the credit can go to the strong play of quarterback Jared Goff and budding star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. However, it is no coincidence that the unit hit its stride when Ben Johnson was elevated from the tight end’s coach to the offensive coordinator last season. They took the league by storm in 2022 and have continued that this season with him calling the plays.

That is why he garnered a good bit of interest earlier this year as franchises looked for new head coaches. The 37-year-old was reportedly a top contender for the Carolina Panthers job but ended his planned round of interviews in February when the Lions gave him a massive pay raise to remain as their OC in 2023.

However, that sustained success may make it very hard for Detroit to hold on to him this time around. On Saturday night, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones gave an update on the head coach market heading into the new year and the extreme lack of interesting offensive minds available.

That could prove to be highly beneficial to Johnson since he will be one of the few and best candidates in this year’s coaching class.

“Sources across the league agree that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the hottest coaching candidate this cycle. He could wind up getting multiple offers a year after deciding to return to Detroit as a sought-after coach,” Jones wrote.

“But after Johnson, sources say there’s no obvious offensive-minded coach who’s a shoo-in for a job … NFL owners have been hesitant to go with defensive-minded coaches in recent years thanks to a league that has been consumed with offensive fireworks. The thinking goes that teams with defensive-minded coaches will have to constantly hire new offensive coordinators when the latest successful one leaves for a top job.”

The likely bidding war for Johnson will probably drive up the price to a level the Detriot Lions offensive coordinator can’t refuse early next year.