One of the now nine head coaching candidates that the Jacksonville Jaguars put in interview requests for is Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson–the most sought after candidate in this head coaching cycle.
According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Johnson has accepted the request and the interview will be this Saturday.
Sources: #Lions OC Ben Johnson — the top candidate in this year’s cycle — is scheduled to interview with four teams and has set up virtual meetings as follows:
– Raiders & Patriots on Friday
– Bears & Jaguars on Saturday pic.twitter.com/qO1VZKCZSl
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 8, 2025
Johnson has been with the Lions’ organization since 2019 and has been the offensive coordinator for three seasons now, leading one of the most dynamic units in football.
Basically, pick a category, and the Lions’ offense is likely ranked near the top of the NFL, with Johnson not only orchestrating effective game plans but oftentimes quite creative ones as well.
During the 2024 regular season, the Lions led the NFL in scoring at over 33 points per game. The also ranked ninth in yards per rush and second in yards per pass attempt.
Earlier this year, Johnson’s Detroit offense hung 52 points on the Jacksonville defense.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote recently that he is hearing that Johnson is only going to interview for jobs that he would be willing to take. So that is a positive for Jaguars’ fans.
Breer would go on to say that Johnson has two specific criteria that he is looking for in a head coaching opportunity. One is alignment between the head coach and GM, and two, is that Johnson wants to work with an owner who is “willing to honestly identify” the team’s weaknesses and to “address them aggressively.”
Along with the Jaguars, Schultz adds that Johnson will also be interviewing with Chicago, Las Vegas, and New England.