NFL Rumors: Ben Johnson's Criteria Revealed to Leave Lions for HC Job in 2025

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has outlined the specific criteria he considers essential before leaving the team for a head coaching position.

"He has two criteria: organizational alignment and recognition from a team of its mistakes with a willingness to fix them," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote. "He will sell teams on his vision, to see whether they're willing to go all in on it."

Johnson is not believed to be in a hurry to leave the thriving 12-1 Lions organization. He is not actively chasing interviews and is approaching the hiring cycle with a new perspective. According to Breer, Johnson will only take interviews if he has "genuine interest" in the position, emphasizing that he does not want "just a job."

Breer previously reported that Johnson showed interest in the Chicago Bears head coaching position last year before the team decided to retain Matt Eberflus.

"He was definitely connected to the Chicago job last year. ... There were some people who thought that was the one he wanted, and obviously, it didn't come open," Breer said during a radio appearance.

Johnson also interviewed with several teams that did have open positions, including the Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Atlanta Falcons, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

He reportedly declined an in-person interview with the Panthers in 2023, despite being considered the frontrunner for the job, per Birkett.

Johnson has remained firm in his stance that, to leave the Lions, the perfect opportunity will need to arise.

"Something that really resonates with me is, OK, eight openings this past year. What would you set the over-under in three years, how many still have jobs?" Johnson told Birkett. "I'd say there's a good chance five of them are out of jobs in three years. And so, when I look at it from that perspective, if I get the opportunity to go down that road, it's about how do I get to that second contract, how do I set myself up that if the stars need to align? I'm not going to do it just to do it. I love what I'm doing right now. Love it. Love it. I love where I'm at. My family loves where we're at. Love the people that we're doing it with, and so I'm not willing to go down the other path yet unless I feel really good about how it's going to unfold."

Despite the potential loss to the Lions, if Johnson decides to advance in the league, head coach Dan Campbell will undoubtedly support his decision, having nothing but high praise for the six-year Detroit coach.

"I think Ben's a rock star, man," Campbell said, according to DetroitLions.com. "He's a young guy, but he's kind of gone a little longer, harder road to get to where he's at. He's been around some really good coaches, now, some guys who have coached some pretty good quarterbacks."