Ben Johnson Set to Interview with These Three Teams During NFL Playoffs Bye-Week

Johnson is the hottest coaching candidate on the market.

Johnson is the hottest head coaching candidate on the market. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Ben Johnson sweepstakes have officially begun.

The Lions offensive coordinator, considered by many to be the top head coaching candidate on the market, is set to begin interviews as Detroit is on a first-round bye in the NFL Playoffs.

According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, he'll meet with the following three teams this week:

• Chicago Bears
• New England Patriots
• Jacksonville Jaguars

Ben Johnson is making the most of his bye week.

The Lions OC is scheduled to meet with three teams virtually about their head coaching vacancies, per sources:

◽️ Bears
◽️ Patriots
◽️ Jaguars pic.twitter.com/ZV0zVb4XrZ

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 8, 2025

ESPN's Adam Schefter added that Johnson's interview with the Patriots is scheduled for Friday.

All interviews with Johnson this week are required to be conducted virtually per NFL rules, as he is employed by a playoff team on a bye. Johnson can meet via video conference with teams beginning on Wednesday through the end of wild-card weekend. Each interview is limited to three hours in length.

In-person interviews with Johnson can begin on Jan. 20—unless his Lions team is still alive for the NFC Championship Game.

The 38-year-old offensive guru is reportedly being selective with the head coach hiring cycle this year. According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Johnson "will not chase interviews... if he takes an interview, it's going to be with the intention of actually pursuing the job."

"He has a couple of criteria," Breer added in a hit with Amazon Prime Video's Thursday Night Football pregame show last month. "No. 1, he'll be looking for organizational alignment—in particular between the GM and the head coach. And then he'll be looking for recognition from the organization of the things that have gone wrong, and a willingness to fix them."

Chicago, New England, and Jacksonville all have head coaching vacancies after the firings of Matt Eberflus, Jerod Mayo, and Doug Pederson. Each franchise notably also has a franchise quarterback already on hand in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Trevor Lawrence.

Under Johnson's watch over the last three seasons, the Lions have improved their offensive output every year. They led the NFL in points-per-game in 2024-25 with 33.2 and are second in yards-per-game with 409.5.

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