The dispute surrounding Detroit Lions offensive lineman Ben Johnson has subsided.
The media feud between offensive coordinator Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders has grown rather evident.
Based on the spin in the media in the days that followed, it is evident that some individuals were offended when Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, withdrew from consideration for the positions with the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks earlier this week.
Everything began with the way Johnson withdrew himself from consideration as a contender. According to reports, the Commanders were their route to Detroit to interview Johnson and Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator for the Lions. This is comparable to what Johnson did in 2023 when, just one day prior to his scheduled interview with the Carolina Panthers, he declined every offer.
Because of this, some in the media have implied that Johnson conducted dirty work in Washington. Even though the Commanders find this annoying, it’s not particularly unusual or impolite. Just a few days ago, Kliff Kingsbury, who was “expected” to be appointed as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, resigned from his position. Johnson did not set any such expectations, and the Commanders would have driven Glenn anyway.
However, Johnson and the Commanders seem to be using the media to forward their own versions of events, in spite of the small annoyance. First, the topic of money was raised once more. During the season, Josina Anderson stated that Johnson was allegedly demanding an unheard-ofly large sum of money—up to $15 million annually—in exchange for leaving Detroit. Johnson’s representative denied the allegation right away, but Adam Schefter basically repeated Anderson’s findings when Johnson turned down positions once more this cycle:
Schefter claimed two hours later that Johnson’s Detroit contract remained unchanged, “proving that money is not Johnson’s biggest motivation.” Schefter appears to be bizarrely taking sides in this situation, even though his two seemingly contradictory stories don’t really mean to contradict one another.
From then on, everything just became sloppy even more. As is typical when a strong applicant declines a job offer, stories quickly surface claiming that he was never a particularly strong candidate—the dreaded “he didn’t interview well” leaks. And just in time, through Albert Breer (italics added)
Johnson was well-liked in Washington. However, this was not a done deal. According to what I’d heard, the Commanders were really doing a gentle reset this week, looking to move forward with in-person interviews and being open to whatever direction those discussions could lead. The Seahawks are using a similar strategy and will soon meet defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald of the Baltimore Ravens. Despite all of his advantages, Johnson didn’t
Garofolo said that Johnson was more likely to announce his return after realizing he was not going to be employed by the Commanders or Seahawks than to actually decline these offers.
While some of this may have some truth to it, it also seems like the Commanders are trying to create a story to protect their reputation. How could Johnson have gone from being the best candidate in a coaching cycle, whom the media praised, to this cold, unintelligent candidate the moment he made the decision to come back? There were no hints made at the time that Johnson had a terrible attitude or did a poor job during the interview.
Furthermore, why were the Commanders trying to meet with Johnson again if they were so turned off by his interview? They never seemed to be all that interested in Glenn, so it’s safe to assume that they weren’t sending their top brass to Detroit merely to do their research.
