Another year, another decision by Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to stay put.
So why did he remove his name from consideration with the Commanders and Seahawks?
Immediately after the news broke, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com posted to his 10.7 million followers that “Johnson was not the head-coaching lock that people thought and his asking price spooked some teams, per sources.”
That’s a pretty loaded comment, one that cries out for more information — and more reporting — before going with it. What was his asking price? It’s impossible to even begin to assess whether it was reasonable for teams to be “spooked” without knowing what he wanted.
And do we know that’s what he wanted? This one seems to fall into the range of things that require an opportunity by Johnson to respond.
The teams spurned by Johnson have a clear reason to make it look like he was the problem, not them. They need to be able to create the impression that they got their first choice, even if they didn’t. They can’t afford to have the perception emerge that Johnson, after the interview, decided not to take one of only 32 jobs and the money that goes with it, even though there’s no guarantee that his ship will ever come in again.
When Josina Anderson of CBS Sports posted in December that “I’m told personnel around the league are discussing their awareness that some Owners have been told #Lions OC Ben Johnson’s asking price is at least or around $15M/year for a head coach job, per source,” agent Richmond Flowers immediately pounced, posting this: “I’m told personnel around the league are discussing their awareness that there is no asking price or demand and this tweet is 100% false and irresponsible reporting, per source.”
Setting aside whether Schefter should have contacted Flowers or Johnson before posting that “his asking price spooked some teams” (and he should have), Flowers has been silent in response to the claim that the “asking price spooked some teams.” (We’ve tried to contact Flowers regarding that contention.)
The problem for Johnson is that the notion that he wants too much could hurt him in the next cycle, especially with Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik potentially poised to become the new hot candidate.
Until we hear more from Johnson or Flowers or the teams involved, let’s not just assume Johnson priced his way out of a landing spot in 2024. That’s a tough label to put on a guy unless it’s fully warranted — and unless he’s had a fair opportunity to respond to it.
