Ben Johnson is once again one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NFL. And with the Lions having earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, Johnson can interview with interested teams from Thursday through Saturday. At least three teams have reportedly reached out.
"Three, wow. Alright," Jared Goff said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "Good for him."
The Bears, Patriots and Jaguars have requested interviews with the Lions' offensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport. Goff, of course, would rather see Johnson stay in Detroit, where the Lions have had a top-five offense under Johnson for three years running, with Goff taking his game to new heights.
"He’s had interviews before, hasn’t he?" said Goff. "So I don't know, we’ll see. Obviously, I love Ben. He’s the best and I wish him the best in whatever he ends up doing, but he knows I’d like to have him for at least one more. We’ll see where it goes."
On the Lions' offense, Goff said, "It’s explosive, it’s fun, it’s smart, it’s fast, it’s aggressive, it’s physical. It’s everything you want in an offense. We’ve had good success and now it’s time to keep it going (in the playoffs)."
Johnson, 38, has turned down potential head coaching jobs each of the last two offseasons, the Commanders last year and the Panthers the year prior. He stayed in Detroit this season because he said he had unfinished business with Goff, Dan Campbell and others after the Lions lost in last year's NFC title game and he wasn't willing to leave for a head job elsewhere "unless I feel really good about how it’s going to unfold."
His perspective could change if the Lions win the Super Bowl and he likes what he sees in his suitors. Johnson intends to interview with the Patriots and Bears this week, Tom Pelissero reported Monday: "He is interested in those jobs. He's been intrigued in the Bears job for some time and now that the Patriots job with Drake Maye at quarterback has become available, that is certainly a possibility to monitor."
The Lions just shattered the franchise record for points in a season, besting the previous mark by 90 points. They also scored the fourth most points in NFL history. After their win over the Vikings in which the Lions scored 30-plus for the 10th time this season, Goff raved about Johnson's ability to blend game-planning with problem-solving for each opponent on the schedule.
"All day, every day, that’s what we’re doing, talking through and fixing these problems," Goff said Tuesday. "Whether it’s first or second down, third down, red zone, all we’re doing is trying to simplify it for myself, and I’m constantly asking questions. A lot of times in our post-practice meetings, it’s just me hammering out some of the issues that I may see and him going, ‘No, no, we’re good because of this, that and the other,’ or, ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea, we should add this.’
"I’m very thankful to have a coach who listens and wants to hear from me and what I have to say and my ideas, and it’s been fun to get some of those ideas in. And certainly when they’re your own, you feel like you need to make them work. It’s fun to be working with him."
Goff and Johnson will be working together for at least one more game, three if everything goes as planned for the Lions. From there, it's anyone's guess.