Heading into the offseason, few outlets would’ve even listed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as a fit for the Las Vegas Raiders. The reason for that is that not many thought he would even consider the team.
Now a couple of weeks into the Raiders’ coaching search, they appear to be the favorites to land Johnson. In fact, the two sides might already be talking about a contract. The Raiders can’t officially make him an offer, but according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Las Vegas is very serious about their pursuit of Johnson.
“Most recently, we’ve caught wind of a rumor that the Raiders have made a ‘massive’ contract offer to Johnson,” Florio wrote in a Jan. 15 column. “While it’s premature for offers to officially be made, given that they’ve yet to conduct a face-to-face interview with Johnson, the talk is out there that a big number is unofficially out there.
“Whether it’s credible or not remains to be seen. Owner Mark Davis isn’t exactly in the upper echelon of cash-rich NFL owners. With recent buyouts to the likes of Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler, Antonio Pierce, and Telesco, piggy banks might need to be busted open to blow the entry-level curve on Johnson.”
Raiders Could ‘Ruffle Feathers’ Around NFL
A “massive” contract for a first-time head coach would certainly be bold. The Raiders are still paying Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels and now Antonio Pierce. That’s not to mention the fired general managers they’re still paying like Davie Ziegler and Tom Telesco.
However, the Raiders seem serious about wanting to build around a young coach with a vision, but they may make some enemies along the way. Florio believes that other NFL teams will not be happy with Las Vegas if they give Johnson a big contract.
“A ‘massive’ deal also would ruffle feathers among the other owners, some of whom are obsessed with staving off a bidding wars for coaches, where there’s no salary cap and no franchise tag and the market could easily go haywire,” Florio wrote.
The fact that minority owner Tom Brady’s fingerprints are all over this may also cause issues.
“But it’s more than money for Johnson,” Florio wrote. “If he works for the Raiders, he has access to Brady. Regardless of the niceties of the rules, there’s also talk that they’ve spent plenty of time talking on the phone.
“They’re allowed to converse within the confines of Brady’s job with Fox. Although he can’t attend production meetings, Brady is allowed to talk to coaches and players about the games he’ll be working. And he’ll be working the Lions game this weekend.”
Raiders or Bust?
While it’s far from a done deal that Johnson will be the Raiders’ next head coach, they seem to have a commanding lead. In fact, Florio believes it could come down to Johnson staying in Detroit or going to Las Vegas.
“There’s currently no other destination that fits. Johnson has interviewed with the Raiders, Bears, Jaguars, and Patriots. The alignment he wants doesn’t exist in Jacksonville, and likely isn’t in play with the Bears,” Florio wrote. “Unless the Cowboys (who blew their window to interview Johnson at any time before the Lions’ season ends because they didn’t interview him via Zoom last week) make a late run, it’s the Raiders or the status quo for Johnson.
“More and more people in league circles believe it will be the Raiders.”
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Raiders at Risk of Angering NFL if They Hire Ben Johnson: Insider