Vincent Frank
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is among the hottest names surfacing during this year’s NFL head coaching cycle.
There is good reason for this. The 37-year-old assistant has helped morph quarterback Jared Goff into a franchise-type signal caller since taking over his current role in Detroit ahead of the 2022 season. The Lions (10-4) rank fifth in the NFL in scoring at 27.3 points per game and look like a juggernaut on the offensive side of the ball.
Someone of Johnson’s ilk is going to be a hot commodity in today’s NFL. That’s for sure. He knows it, too.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, owners have been told through Johnson’s reps that his asking price to become a head coach is a whopping $15 million per year.
Let’s put this into perspective for a second. The highest-paid NFL head coach is six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots at $20 million annually. Super Bowl winners Sean Payton ($18 million) and Pete Carroll ($15 million) come in second and third, respectively.
Another Super Bowl winner in that of Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is fourth at $14 million. Andy Reid and John Harbaugh come in at $12 million while Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers is earning $10 million.
Related: Ben Johnson and the top NFL head coach candidates
Ben Johnson career and market as an NFL head coach
Johnson and his reps certainly know that market dynamics come into play here. Supply and demand, too. The Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers already fired their head coaches this season. All three will be in the market.
They could very well be joined by the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons in looking for new head coaches. That comes out to nearly one-third of the league.
| Year | Points | Total Offense | Passing Offense | Rushing Offense |
| 2022 | 5th | 4th | 8th | 11th |
| 2023 | 5th | 3rd | 4th | 2nd |
To put this into perspective, the Lions ranked 22nd in total yards and 25th in points the season before Johnson took over with the respected Anthony Lynn calling the shots on offense.
Johnson does have vast experience as an assistant at the NFL level. He served in a variety of roles with the Miami Dolphins from 2012-18 before taking over as an offensive quality control coach with Detroit back in 2019.
Johnson was then promoted to tight ends coach in 2020 with Detroit before taking over as the offensive coordintor ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Even then, his reported asking price might be a bit too rich for someone without any head coaching experience. This is especially true in a market littered with candidates of that ilk.
