NFL Rumors: Bill Belichick, Ben Johnson Both 'Assured' of Getting HC Jobs in 2024

If Bill Belichick and Ben Johnson hit the market during the offseason, it certainly sounds like they won't have difficulty finding head coaching jobs.

Sport's Illustrated's Albert Breer reported Wednesday on ESPN's This Is Football that Belichick and Johnson are both "assured" of getting head coaching jobs in 2024.

"I talked to somebody pretty high up with one of these organizations the other day who said to me he thinks there's two coaches that are assured of getting jobs on the market in 2024 and it's Ben Johnson and Bill Belichick," Breer said (three minute mark).

Belichick has been head coach of the Patriots since 2000, leading the franchise to 17 AFC East titles, nine AFC championships and six Super Bowl titles. He is 264-117 in his 24 years in New England.

However, the 71-year-old has found minimal success without seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady as his quarterback. Prior to joining the Patriots, Belichick coached the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95, going 36-44 in that span.

From 2001-2019, Belichick and the Patriots had a winning record every season, including an undefeated 16-0 2007 campaign. However, since Brady left New England and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2019 season, Belichick hasn't found the same level of success.

The Patriots are 27-34 over the last three seasons and are currently in the midst of an abysmal 2-9 campaign. New England's only winning season over the last four years came in 2021 when it finished 10-7.

Quarterback Mac Jones hasn't been the heir to Brady's throne that the Patriots had hoped, though Belichick has also been blamed for making poor personnel decisions since Brady's departure, such as drafting N'Keal Harry over Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown in 2019.

Belichick reportedly signed an extension with the Patriots ahead of the 2023 campaign, though his future in New England remains up in the air due to the team hitting new lows this year.

Johnson, meanwhile, is the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. He was promoted to the role in 2022 after serving in a variety of offensive coaching roles for the franchise since 2019.

Johnson is expected to be one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market during the offseason with the Lions offense having excelled in 2023. Detroit's passing offense ranks third in the NFL, it's rushing offense ranks sixth and the offense also ranks seventh in scoring.

It's unclear which teams might pursue Johnson, though he has already been rumored as a candidate to replace Frank Reich as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this week on the Pat McAfee Show that he believes there will be between seven and 10 coaching changes this year, so there will be no shortage of options for Belichick and Johnson.