NFL Rumors: Lions' Ben Johnson Scheduled to Interview with Raiders, Patriots, More

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is arguably the most coveted head coaching candidate on the market, and he's reportedly chosen four teams to speak to this week.

According to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, Johnson scheduled interviews with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots on Friday and the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday. All meetings will be virtual, per NFL rules, while the Lions have a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Johnson has been Detroit's offensive coordinator since 2022 and established himself as one of the most innovative minds in all of football. This season, the team led the NFL with 33.2 points per game and ranked second with 409.5 total yards per game on its way to finishing 15-2 to win its second straight NFC North title and clinch the NFC No. 1 seed.

Johnson's creativity and play-calling acumen have set him apart from other head coaching candidates, but despite drawing interest from other teams in previous offseasons, he chose to remain with the Lions until he felt the right situation became available. The 38-year-old explained his thought process regarding pursuing a head coaching job to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press in May.

"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," Johnson said at the time. "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."

While there's always a chance Johnson chooses to remain in Detroit for another year, the four teams he's agreed to interview with all have aspects that he can feel good about. The Bears, Patriots and Jaguars all have clear directions at the quarterback position with Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Trevor Lawrence, respectively. The Raiders have a potential game-changing talent in promising rookie tight end Brock Bowers.

Wherever Johnson ends up, it's clear that he will implement a creative offensive system that will put his players in the best positions to succeed.