Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is widely recognized as one of the smartest minds in the National Football League. Having turned down multiple head-coaching opportunities in recent years, Johnson is once again at the center of the NFL coaching carousel in 2025.
However, the Lions offensive coordinator isn’t a perfect candidate. In fact, the majority of teams either with head-coaching vacancies or considering a coaching change reportedly have Mike Vrabel ranked as the top option available. Part of that is because of one real uncertainty regarding Johnson and his fit as a head coach.
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Bleacher Report‘s NFL insider James Palmer shared that the one main question teams have regarding Johnson is whether or not he can be a stronger “leader of men” who commands a locker room and can handle all the duties of being a head coach.
“The leader of men side of things that needs to be figured out with Ben Johnson. Like I said, he’s almost at the top of everybody’s list. If you talk to people in Detroit, this isn’t a bad thing, this is just how he’s wired. He’s very much close the door, mad scientist. Tinker around, come up with these unbelievable scheme and concepts and make defenses look silly.”
James Palmer on Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
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Palmer isn’t the only NFL insider to raise questions about how Johnson will function as a head coach from a leadership perspective. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports has shared multiple times on the Inside Coverage podcast that Johnson is known for being a bit similar to Adam Gase personality-wise.
Johnson, who turns 39 in May, has more of a reserved personality that stays out of the spotlight outside of league-mandated media obligations. Becoming a head coach means multiple press conferences per week and a level of media scrutiny that he’s never faced before.
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It’s part of the reason why teams like the New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants have never been viewed as realistic fits for Johnson. He reportedly prefers being in a smaller media market, or at least somewhere that he can focus more on football. If that opportunity doesn’t present itself in 2025, Johnson will be happy to remain the Lions offensive coordinator next season.