Former Patriots Asst. Coach Pepper Johnson Fired After One XFL Game as DC

Former Patriots assistant coach Pepper Johnson was relieved from his coaching duties in the XFL after just one game.

One day after the first weekend of XFL action, the Los Angeles Wildcats made an unexpected move and fired defensive coordinator Pepper Johnson. 

Johnson was let go in part because his coaching was not up to par for the Wildcats' first game against the Houston Roughnecks. Sunday’s 37-17 loss for Los Angeles was a massive hit to the team. Under Johnson’s coordination, Houston quarterback P.J. Walker was able to throw four touchdown passes against the Wildcats' defense and moved his team from a halftime deficit to a steamroller win.

In his NFL coaching career, Johnson spent 13 years with the New England Patriots, coaching the assistant linebackers for the 2000 season, inside linebackers from 2001-2003, the defensive line from 2004-2011, and finishing out in 2012-2013 coaching the linebackers. His experience with the Patriots was defining for his coaching career, as it lead him on to coach the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets for his remaining two years in the NFL. In 2019 he resurfaced with the AAF Memphis Express.

The 55-year-old's release from the Wildcats hasn’t been followed up with a replacement yet, but head coach Winston Moss acknowledged that it was a difficult decision to let Johnson go.

In a statement, Moss said, "We recognize that there are issues we need to address for the 2020 season. While these decisions are difficult, we have given this significant thought. We are here to put the best possible product on the field for our fans. We thank Pepper for his contributions to the Wildcats and we are looking forward to our home opener this weekend.”

It’s unclear where Johnson will take his coaching abilities going forward.