NFL Rumors: Raiders trade up for QB, Ben Johnson-Commanders feud, Mike Evans market
- The Las Vegas Raiders may move up the board for a QB
- The Commanders and Ben Johnson did not work out due to another sport
- Mike Evans may leave Tampa Bay but where does he land?
NFL Rumors: Ben Johnson to the Commanders wasn't a slam dunk due to the hoop being more valued than the endzone
Maybe the Ben Johnson to the Washington Commanders train left the station a bit too early, or maybe it was never in the works, or maybe it was a he said, he said type of deal. There's too much confusion surrounding this mess.
ESPN's Jenna Laine had a very interesting report on the matter, citing that the two sides were far apart because of an affinity with basketball over football. That apparently led to Johnson not interviewing well with the Commanders ownership.
Was told that Ben Johnson was "turned off" by Commanders ownership, that they're "basketball guys" and felt they were a little too confident in their football opinions. And I also heard that he "didn't interview well." He said, he said, but clearly not a good fit for both sides. https://t.co/negeevYsha
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) February 3, 2024
In fairness to Magic Johnson and Josh Harris, both come from basketball backgrounds. At the same time, Ben Johnson has been involved with football for a substantial period of time. Yet, Magic Johnson has an ownership stake in other pro sports franchises as well, so what does that have to do with anything?
Maybe Ben Johnson believes there are better job opportunities out there for himself, and if so, more power to him, but this feels almost like a shot at Magic and Josh Harris, which isn't exactly going to go over well with the fans in DC, who had to suffer through the Dan Snyder era, the lone highlight being the drafting of Sean Taylor, god rest his soul.
It will be interesting to see how Ben Johnson handles this next season and whether or not he chooses to remain in Detroit again after the 24-25 campaign or pursue another head coaching job that he feels is "more football oriented." A bit of smarminess, but still, there is a reason for it, given his track record of helping turn the Lions around so fast.