On a quiet flight home after the Lions' loss in the NFC championship game last season, Ben Johnson recalled something Dan Campbell had said late in their first season together in Detroit.
"He had made this analogy to the team about how we were sailing through the ocean, and at that moment, we were in the Arctic. We were hitting the icebergs, storms were going on, and those were dark days. But he had the foresight, the vision, of where we were going and where we were heading. He said, 'Guys, I see it. The results haven't been there yet, but the Caribbean is on the horizon.' I'm sitting on the plane and thinking back to that," Johnson said Thursday.
Johnson said he's spent most of his career "living in that Arctic." Last season was just the second time in his 13 years in the NFL that he got to coach in a playoff game; it was the first time he felt the thrill of winning one. Then two. This was the Caribbean. Now it's the Super Bowl on the horizon in Detroit. So as the Lions offensive coordinator sat there on the plane with head coaching opportunities beckoning elsewhere, Johnson said he decided, "I wanted the sunshine a little bit longer."
"That's really what it comes down to for me," he said. "I like the sunshine, I like what we've built here, starting with ownership, the head coach, the GM, on down. We have a great group of guys in the locker room, and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer."
A couple days later, Johnson formally pulled his name out of consideration for head coaching vacancies with the Commanders and the Seahawks. Widely considered the front-runner for the Washington job, Johnson informed the Commanders that he was staying put while they were flying to Detroit to interview him -- and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn -- for a second time. He told Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shortly thereafter that he had unfinished business in Detroit.
Johnson, 38, has been the brains behind one of the best offenses in the NFL for the past two years. He's played a huge role in the comeback of Jared Goff, who was left for dead by the Rams and just signed a four-year extension with the Lions. He has a close relationship with Campbell that dates back to their days as assistant coaches for the Dolphins from 2012-15.
It was Campbell who elevated Johnson to passing-game coordinator after the demotion of former Lions OC Anthony Lynn midway through the 2021 season and who later promoted him to offensive coordinator and play-caller in 2022. Detroit's offense has been humming ever since.
All to say, Johnson isn't leaving the Lions for just any head-coaching job, rare as they may be. He also turned down the Panthers last year. He's well aware that taking the wrong road can lead quickly to a dead-end. He'd rather wait for the right one to present itself.
"Something that really resonates with me is, OK, eight openings this past year? What would you set the over-under, in three years, how many still have jobs? I would say there’s a good chance that five of them are out of jobs in three years," Johnson said. "So when I look at it from that perspective, if I get the opportunity to go down that road, it’s about, how do I get to that second contract? How do I set myself up? The stars need to align. I’m not going to do it just to do it.
"I love what I’m doing right now — love it. I love where I’m at, my family loves where we’re at, love the people that we’re doing it with. So I’m not willing to go down the other path yet, unless I feel really good about how it’s going to unfold."
Johnson, for the record, said he has zero doubt that he's ready right now to be an NFL head coach. As one of the hottest coaches in the industry, on one of the best teams in the league, he has the luxury of waiting for what he feels is the right opportunity. As for what that looks like, Johnson said it comes down to factors like ownership, staff and "my vision of how I can make it work with how I am.
"Like, I love play-calling," he said. "So if I took a head coaching job, I’d want to be a play-calling head coach."
In the meantime, Johnson is more than happy to continue in his role and pursue a Super Bowl with the Lions. The club has ascended from last in the NFC to one of the top teams in the conference in the last three years. Before he takes the next step in his own career, Johnson would like to finish the climb to the top of the NFL.
"Listen, there’s an adjustment period for every person that takes that job," he said. "They’re learning on the fly. But I think the more that you have set (up) and feel good about, that gives you the best chance. I was actually talking with someone the other day about this: The longer you’re in the coordinator chair, it does nothing but help you and prepare you more for the next step, if it ever comes down the pike.
"So personally, I don’t feel like I’m hurting my opportunities or my abilities to be a head coach in the future, and I love what I’m doing right now."