Ben Johnson favorite is an obvious downgrade from Commanders job he could've taken

The hottest name on this offseason's list of available coaches is undoubtedly Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. This is especially the case with Mike Vrabel off the board as the newest head coach of the New England Patriots.

Johnson is the play-caller behind the NFL's best offense. The Lions led the NFL, averaging 33.2 points per game this past regular season while also ranking second in total yards per game. Jared Goff is far from the best quarterback in the sport, yet was under center running the league's most lethal offense thanks in large part to Johnson.

This offseason isn't the first one that has seen Johnson in the spotlight. In fact, last offseason it felt as if he was a perfect fit for the Washington Commanders job before he wound up turning down their interview request at the last moment.

The Commanders have thrived in 2024, and Johnson appears interested in taking a job that would put him in an objectively worse position than he would've been had he taken the Washington opening.

It sure sounds like Ben Johnson made a mistake passing on Commanders opening

The Las Vegas Raiders appear to be the favorites right now in the Ben Johnson sweepstakes. While that does not mean that match is a lock to come to fruition, the fact that there even is momentum shows that Johnson is at least somewhat interested in that opening. Going to Las Vegas one year after he passed on Washington's opening would have to be fairly underwhelming from Johnson's perspective.

Sure, there might not have been a lot to like on Washington's roster last offseason, but the Commanders did hold the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Caleb Williams was going to be off the board, but Johnson would've had the opportunity to select a quarterback like Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye to center the future around. With his offensive mind and guys like Terry McLaurin and Brian Robinson Jr., there were reasons to believe that the Commanders' offense would be very solid in 2024 assuming the Commanders chose the right quarterback.

Jayden Daniels has had an absurd rookie season, and is now set to face Johnson's Lions in the Divisional Round. Can you imagine just how dominant that offense could have been had the Commanders hired Johnson?

Now, instead of joining the Commanders, there's a very real possibility that Johnson settles for the Raiders opening. Working with Tom Brady would be cool, as would living in Las Vegas, and hand-picking your own general manager, but the Raiders are in a brutal spot. Not only do they need a quarterback, but they probably will have to trade up just to land one worth taking in the first round of an underwhelming quarterback class. This isn't even mentioning the unfortunate reality of having to deal with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix in the AFC West.

Hindsight is 20/20, but there's no denying that if Johnson winds up taking the Raiders job, he'll be thinking about what could've been in Washington.