Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is among the top names in this year's NFL head coaching cycle—and according to one NFL insider, he's become "the candidate to watch" for one team in particular.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Las Vegas Raiders are "enamored" with Johnson and "are willing to wait as long as it takes to secure [him]". Johnson interviewed with the team virtually on Friday.
Vegas fired both head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco this week—simultaneously clearing the deck for them to revamp their entire football operation.
The kicker in all of this? Minority owner Tom Brady is reportedly playing a prominent role in the Raiders' head coaching search, and was "influential in the decision to fire Pierce and Telesco". According to Rapoport, the six-time Super Bowl champion, “personally vouched for Johnson" as a candidate, and essentially recruited him to take the interview through his agent.
As the #Raiders HC search kicks into gear, one name to watch: #Lions OC Ben Johnson.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2025
The organization is said to be enamored with him, and Tom Brady’s personal touch has helped.
My story: https://t.co/tW4Smk3Withttps://t.co/tW4Smk3Wit
Brady has also spoken to his former head coach in Bill Belichick about Vegas' search.
As far as Johnson's candidacy goes, he's reportedly being selective this coaching cycle and is only interviewing "with the intention of actually pursuing the job." The 38-year-old met virtually, per NFL rules, with the Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday.
He cannot interview in person with teams until after the divisional round of the NFL playoffs and if the Lions advance further, he'd have to wait until after the NFC Championship Game.
Under Johnson's tutelage, the Lions' offense has increased their output season over season. In 2024-25, Detroit led the NFL in points-per-game with 33.2 and was second in yards-per-game with 409.5.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Raiders, Tom Brady Eyeing Ben Johnson as Team's Next Head Coach.
