Ben Johnson Passed on the Panthers and Others For One Reason

The stars didn't align for Ben Johnson to make the leap to becoming a head coach in the NFL.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson speaks during OTA at Detroit Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park on Thursday, May 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Carolina Panthers had a real interest in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching vacancy each of the past two offseasons. Johnson elected to pass on the Panthers' job along with other opportunities to remain in Detroit and on Friday, he gave a very truthful answer as to why.

"What really resonates with me is eight openings this past year. What would you set the over/under in three years? How many still have jobs? I'd put the over/under at 4.5. I'd say there's a good chance five of them are out of jobs in three years. When I look at it from that perspective, if I get the opportunity to go down that road it's about how do I get to that second contract? The stars need to align. I'm not going to do it just to do it. I love what I'm doing right now. I love where I'm at, my family loves where we're at. I love the people that we're doing it with. I'm not willing to do down the other path yet unless I feel really good about how it's going to unfold. It comes down to ownership, it's staff, it's my vision and how I can make it work with how I know I am. I love play-calling and so if I took a head coaching job, I'd want to be a play-calling head coach. There's only so much time during the week, so what's it going to look like Monday though Sunday, in that regard? I just want to make sure everything's nailed down."

#Lions OC Ben Johnson explained why he stayed in Detroit instead of taking a head coach position.

Johnson mentioned that of the eight openings this offseason, five of those hires will likely be gone in the next three years.

He wants to be sure he can secure a second contract as… pic.twitter.com/UrXFEJt3VZ

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 31, 2024

Lack of job security is clearly his biggest concern and with the Panthers having fired three head coaches since 2019 and two in consecutive years, it's pretty clear that's the reason why he failed to come anywhere close to reaching a deal with the organization. He's looking for the right opportunity with a stable foundation from ownership on down and it's easy to see why he'd be skeptic of being in Carolina for long with the short leash on head coaches in recent years. Not to mention, Carolina's roster being in rough shape at the time of each coaching search with major question marks at quarterback.

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