Two days after a gut-wrenching loss, a big win for the Lions: Ben Johnson is staying in Detroit.
The coordinator of a Top 5 offense each of the past two seasons and one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NFL, Johnson had interviewed with several teams over the last two weeks, and was scheduled for a second interview Tuesday with the Commanders - but per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Johnson has informed the Lions (and the Commanders and Seahawks, the last two teams with coaching vacancies) he's staying right where he is.
After the Lions fell one win short of the Super Bowl in a 34-31 loss to the 49ers in the NFC title game, Johnson wants another shot at winning it all with Dan Campbell in Detroit. Campbell elevated Johnson to offensive coordinator two seasons ago, and Johnson has emerged as one of the brightest minds in the game. Most notably, he's played a big role in helping Jared Goff reassert himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Lions were one of only two teams this season, along with the 49ers, who had a top-five offense in both passing and rushing. They ranked third overall in yards and fifth in points. They had two running backs with 1,000 scrimmage yards in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and a quarterback who threw for the second most yards and fourth most touchdowns in the NFL. To say nothing of all their receiving weapons, including first-team All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown, and now, they'll look to run it all back in 2024.
The Commanders now will turn to one of their other candidates, which may still include Lions DC Aaron Glenn, who they were scheduled to meet with later Tuesday in Detroit. They interviewed Dan Quinn for a third time Tuesday morning in DC, met with Ravens assistants Mike MacDonald and Anthony Weaver Monday, and have also met in-person with Texans OC Bobby Slowik, their own OC/Assistant HC in Eric Bieniemy, and Raheem Morris, who has since been hired in Atlanta.
Weaver's and Glenn's interviews will officially fulfill Rooney Rule obligations, as they've met in person with both, so if the Commanders are confident in a choice they've already interviewed - like, say, Quinn, whose meeting today was his third - they can offer the job and make an announcement at any time now as soon as Glenn's interview concludes.