Ben Johnson's potentially shocking decision will impact the entire NFL coaching cycle

Although Ben Johnson may be the apple of every bad NFL team's eye, he is thought to be very selective in any potential future endeavors beyond that of coordinating the Detroit Lions' offense. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk touched on this Sunday morning. While Johnson may have supposedly priced himself out of a head-coaching opportunity last year, it may be more of the same.

Apparently, he really enjoys his gig of calling plays for Dan Campbell in Detroit. While Johnson interviewed last season, most notably turning down the Washington Commanders post, he has been tied to other teams all year long. This would include the Chicago Bears, a job he could potentially turn heel in-division for. The other one that has started to come up a bit is the Jacksonville Jaguars' job.

While many pundits feel Johnson is one of two can't-miss head-coaching candidates this offseason in Cleveland Browns analyst and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, I do not see it that way. Although I am not opposed to Johnson getting his own team, I feel he has benefited from the structure in place in Detroit more than anything. He will be fine, but maybe not an elite head coach.

Regardless, the chances of Johnson coming back to Detroit in 2025 are greater than zero currently.

Ben Johnson may not leave the Detroit Lions this offseason after all

With Detroit expected to go on a deep run in the postseason, all signs point to Johnson's supposed availability potentially gumming up the hiring process. We currently have three head-coaching vacancies in Chicago, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. Others will open up, but it may be closer to five than 10 this offseason. There are only so many coaches who can lead an NFL team...

There are two things I keep going back to that have me skeptical about Johnson becoming a great NFL head coach. One, most of these job openings will suck. The gap has never felt wider between the top and the bottom of the sport. Is Johnson really about to go from the penthouse to the outhouse? The other is his reported interest in the Bears job. There is not a more toxic place to work in the NFL.

I would venture to guess that Johnson may only take two or three of these potential vacancies seriously. Yes, I understand that his stock has never been higher, but there is no job that could come available that I would run through a brick wall for. Unless Mike Brown wants to move on from Zac Taylor, I do not know if any job out there is more enticing than calling plays for the Lions next season.

Johnson will get an opportunity, but he must choose wisely; the NFL chews up and spits out coaches.