Getty Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and head coach Dan Campbell
The Seattle Seahawks’ head coach search took an intriguing twist on Tuesday, January 30, as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson contacted the Seahawks and Washington Commanders to take his name out of consideration and stay with the Lions.
Johnson, 37, has been the Lions offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, and now he says he wants to stay at least one more to finish what he started with head coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff.
“Commanders officials were en route to Detroit for a meeting with Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn when they got word that Johnson was staying with the Lions, per sources, ESPN insider Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “While the abrupt pivot by Johnson was considered ‘surprising’ by several league sources, he was not considered a lock for the Commanders’ job, despite his strong reputation as a coordinator and a loyal coach.”
“He wants to return to Detroit, take one more shot at bringing that city a Super Bowl,” Tom Pelissero added on NFL Network.” Now the question becomes, where do the Commanders and Seahawks go from here?”
Where do the #Commanders turn after their top head coaching target Ben Johnson decided to stay in Detroit? We discussed that (and more) on The Insiders.
LIVE coverage of the @seniorbowl continues on @nflnetwork and #NFLPlus
Where indeed?
Where Does Seattle Go From Here?
Now that Ben Johnson is out, it seems as though there are three legitimate candidates to become the next Seahawks head coach, with one having a leg up on the competition.
First, there is the favorite out of the gate, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. As the DC of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl teams, he is a bridge to the Pete Carroll era, and he’s built on his resume with a trip to the Big Game with the Atlanta Falcons and some great defenses in Big D.
Unfortunately for Quinn supporters, giving up 48 points to the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game to end the season is not a way to go into interview time.
Next, there is Mike Vrabel, a proven winner, motivator, and players’ coach from the Tennessee Titans. While he wouldn’t be an extension of Carroll, he would be the closest thing to the veteran coach.
Vrabel knows how to win. He did it as a player and again as a head coach. That said, with his recent struggles in Nashville, it’s safe to wonder how much of that success was him, and how much was thanks to coordinators like Arthur Smith and Dean Pees.
Finally, there is the leader in the clubhouse, who seems to have taken that mantle once co-leader Johnson dropped out. Baltimore Ravens DC Mike Macdonald, who interviews in-person with the Seahawks on Jan. 30, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Seahawks are interviewing Mike Macdonald today, and this is one to watch.
Rapoport goes on to say that NFL teams have told him that Macdonald is “dynamic,” “bright,” and “a young Sean McVay” with “Shane Steichen vibes.” If that doesn’t sound like a great head coach, I’m not sure what does.
Ben Johnson Could Have Been a Great Choice for Seahawks Head Coach
When NFL teams fire their coaches, it’s often on the heels of a disastrous season, and the organization desperately does a 180 and brings in a new coach who is the polar opposite of the one who was just there.
This isn’t the case in Seattle.
The Pete Carroll era in the Pacific Northwest was great, and while the results haven’t been what fans and leadership expect from the Seahawks, they also haven’t been horrendous. So, the organization isn’t necessarily looking for the anti-Pete Carroll with its next head coach.
That said, Ben Johnson would have been an excellent pivot from Carroll and a wildly different head coach than the 72-year-old Super Bowl champ.
On the one hand, the age difference would have been a major change. Johnson would have been just three to five years older than several players on the Seahawks 2023 roster, including linebackers Nick Bellore and Bobby Wagner, quarterback Geno Smith, and kicker Jason Myers. And if the Seahawks brought back offensive tackle Jason Peters (which is unlikely), the OT would be five years older than his head coach.
The biggest difference, though, would be the football mentality.
Johnson has to say no to the Seahawks and Commanders head coach jobs because he is one of the hottest and most innovative young offensive minds in the NFL today. He ran top-five offenses in both yards and points in his two seasons in Detroit and turned the much-maligned Goff into a franchise QB.
With Smith in place, Drew Lock on the fringe, and a rookie QB possibly coming in, Johnson could have made a great fit for the Seahawks.