Less than 48 hours after the Detroit Lions’ season-ending defeat to the Washington Commanders, offensive coordinator Ben to Johnson had secured a deal to become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears. This move sparked a strong reaction from Lions’ fans, further intensified by Johnson’s comments when he arrived at the Bears’ headquarters on Tuesday.
Regarding player reactions to Johnson’s departure, Lions’ running back David Montgomery took a humorous approach, posting a photoshopped image on Instagram that seemed to ask, “Really, you’re leaving us for them?” Montgomery’s past with the Bears added an extra layer to the post.
On the latest episode of his podcast, posted Wednesday morning, Lions’ wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shared his thoughts on Johnson’s departure.
“Obviously, I love Ben. He’s definitely one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had. He’s smart, one of the hardest-working coaches I’ve been around. But of course, I’d want him to stay in Detroit forever, but that’s not the reality. Other teams are going to pursue him. I feel like many coaches want to eventually be a head coach if they can. This was the best opportunity for him, I think. If he didn’t leave now, people would wonder what was wrong with him. We had the highest-scoring offense in the league, even though we lost early. I feel like this was the year for him to go, and he took it. I don’t blame him.”
St. Brown also expressed some playful rivalry with Johnson after his move to the Bears.
“I told him, ‘For two times a year, Ben, we’re going to fk you up,'” St. Brown said. “He replied, ‘I’m gonna fk you up.’ I said, ‘Okay, we’ll see.’ I told him I know all his plays and tendencies. But we were just messing around. He said, ‘If I want to be the best, I’ve got to beat the best, right?’”
Amon-Ra St. Brown disagrees with popular Lions’ fan sentiment about Ben Johnson It’s understandable to criticize how the NFL head coach hiring process operates. Assistants on playoff teams can interview for head coaching positions while their team is still in the postseason, creating a natural split in focus.
Johnson, along with Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, was able to interview during the playoff bye week. These initial virtual interviews occurred a week before the Commanders’ game, and before the Lions even knew their Divisional Round opponent. Head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that the staff would take care not to overprepare for a team they might not face.