Amon-Ra St. Brown: Ben Johnson Returning as Lions OC Because of 'Unfinished Business'

Despite being one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market this winter, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will remain in Detroit for the 2024 season due to "unfinished business," according to star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Brown said Wednesday on his St. Brown Brothers podcast that Johnson called him on Tuesday to inform him that he will remain in Detroit for another season to help the franchise pursue a Super Bowl title.

"I'm like, 'So what's up with you, you did an interview, like, are you leaving?'" St. Brown said on the podcast, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "He's like, 'You know what, I'm on my way to the facility right now.' He said he couldn't sleep last night. He was thinking about it, and he said, 'There's unfinished business.' He wants to stay."

Johnson interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, but those jobs were filled by Raheem Morris, Dave Canales and Jim Harbaugh, respectively.

The 37-year-old had the opportunity to pursue the vacancies with the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks, but he opted to inform those teams that he was remaining in Detroit.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Seattle went on to hire Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, but Washington's job remains open as of Wednesday night.

This marks the second straight season that Johnson has pulled himself out of the hiring cycle to remain with the Lions. He interviewed for the head coaching job in Carolina ahead of the 2023 season before declining a second interview to stay in Detroit.

Johnson has been with the Lions since 2019, getting his start as the team's offensive quality control coach before taking over as tight ends coach from 2020 to 2021. He also served as the passing game coordinator in 2021 before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022.

The Lions put together an impressive 2023 season on offense under Johnson. They finished with the second-best passing offense in the NFL, averaging 258.9 passing yards per game, and they also had the league's fifth-best rushing offense, averaging 135.9 yards per game on the ground.

Detroit also averaged the fifth-most points per game (27.1) in 2023.

The Lions finished the regular season 12-5, winning the NFC North for the first time since the 1993 campaign. They also reached the NFC Championship game for the first time since the 1991 season.

With Johnson returning in 2024, he'll continue to lead a talented offense highlighted by St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta.

Detroit came close to reaching the Super Bowl this year, and Johnson will be hoping they can do so next season.