Lions OC who wanted $15 million to be a head coach

The hottest head coaching candidate of the past two recruiting seasons remains set.Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has told the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Chiefs he will return to Detroit for a second season, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 37-year-old coach also held head coaching interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans.Johnson removed his name from the head coaching conversation for the second time. The Lions offensive coordinator interviewed with the Panthers, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts before withdrawing his name.Johnson’s resume was even better in his second season as offensive coordinator. According to Pro Football Reference, the 2023 Lions had the most points in franchise history. According to FTN, the 2023 Lions had their first top-five ranking in offensive DVOA since at least 1981. The 2022 and 2023 Lions rank third and fourth in franchise history in yards per scrimmage.According to ESPN Commander reporter Nicki Jhabvala, Johnson wants to stay in Detroit in part because he wants to win a Super Bowl. That’s both a promising sign for Detroit’s 2024 prospects and a not-so-subtle well for the rest of its head coaching prospects. Coming off their first NFC title in 32 seasons, the Lions carry 38 of 53 players on their roster and have the sixth most players in the NFL this offseason. TheCommanders and Seahawks, on the other hand, are pretty far from legitimate contention. Washington begins a complete overhaul; despite having the second overall pick and a league-leading $73.6 million in cap space, they are still far from the top team in their division, let alone their conference. The Seattle Seahawks are an average team in need of a defensive overhaul. The Seahawks finished the 2023 season with the third-worst EPA/game in the league, according to RBSDM. Johnson would also have big shoes to fill, replacing Pete Carroll, the winningest coach in franchise history.According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, however, Johnson was not necessarily key to the head coach this cycle. One of the biggest reported obstacles in this conversation was his asking price. In December, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported that Johnson was seeking a salary of “at least or approximately” $15 million a year.Johnson brings back the head coach who gave him his first shot at coordinator in Dan Campbell. Johnson and Campbell worked together on the Miami Dolphins staff before Johnson left for Detroit. Campbell kept Johnson on his staff as tight ends coach after taking over the head coaching role in 2021 and promoted Johnson to offensive coordinator in 2022.In an interview with Kevin Clark, Johnson defined the unique relationship he had with Campbell. how much he doesn’t want to disappoint her.”It crushed me,” Johnson said. “If I knew I let him down…he wouldn’t have to scream. He wouldn’t have to say anything. Just knowing I let him down would do it.”Johnson may have frustrated Campbell with some of his play calls in the Lions’ NFC Championship Game collapse. In particular, Johnson called David Montgomery a third-and-goal that ended the loss with just over a minute left in the game. This forced Detroit to burn a timeout, denying Detroit any real chance to get the ball back from San Francisco. According to the RBSDM win probability model, the decision cost the Lions a 4.7 percent chance of victory..