Ben Johnson, once considered nearly a certain bet to land a head coaching job after the Detroit Lions excelled with the 37-year-old as their offensive coordinator, ended up staying in Detroit and the drama surrounding his job search continues to escalate.
ESPN reported Johnson had issues with Washington Commanders’ ownership after interviewing to be their new head coach in the wake of Ron Rivera’s firing.
Johnson, according to ESPN, considered the ownership group led by Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris, as well as Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, to be “basketball guys” and believed they were overly confident about their football knowledge.
The report also indicated Johnson fared poorly during his interview.
Johnson reportedly had initially agreed to a second interview with Washington before he changed his mind and canceled the second scheduled meeting via text while the Commanders’ ownership was flying to meet him in Detroit.
The Commanders’ top job ultimately went to Dan Quinn, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach who was most recently defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.
Kliff Kingsbury, who was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-22, may reportedly join Quinn as the team’s offensive coordinator.
And instead of heading elsewhere to be a head coach, Johnson will continue in his role as Detroit’s OC, where he helped quarterback Jared Goff to a second straight excellent season.
It remains to be seen if the controversy will impact Johnson’s head coaching possibilities in the future.