Ben Johnson may get offer he can't refuse from team lined up for coaching change

It's becoming old hat at this point, but Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is in line to be a highly-coveted head coaching candidate again as the 2025 hiring cycle approaches. It's also clear he will be selective and fairly focused on jobs that most interest him with interviews he takes.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero recently reinforced how Johnson will be selective with head coaching opportunities he considers.

"He isn't necessarily waiting for the "perfect" opportunity -- Johnson just wants to know there's alignment and a chance for long-term success. Otherwise, he'll stick with a job, team and city he loves in Detroit."

During last year's hiring cycle, there were flimsy, agenda-driven, word-salad-laden reports about Johnson's asking price as he interviewed for head coaching jobs. It's fair to assume the Lions gave him a raise after he has chosen to stay twice, but a head coach's salary is always going to be more than the highest-paid coordinators.

If all other things are equal and Johnson is ready to take a head coaching job, money stands to be a differentiator. It may not be the deciding factor, but human nature says take the job that'll pay you more if everything else is equal. The "everything else is equal" aspect will clearly be the No. 1 differentiator for Johnson, when/if he takes a head coaching job.

There will be all kinds of reports and rumors tying Johnson to specific head coaching openings in the coming weeks. According to John Maakaron and Christian Booher of SI.com, Johnson may get an offer he can't refuse from a team the Lions have faced this season.

"According to league sources, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was very impressed with the Lions' offensive explosion at AT&T Stadium earlier this year, when Detroit won 47-9. While McCarthy was earning a middle of the pack salary, sources indicate the 82-year-old owner is willing to meet Johnson's demands and make him among the highest-paid coaches in the NFL."

As Maakaron and Booher's report noted, Johnson put his play-calling prowess on full display in Week 6 against the Cowboys. That naturally impressed Jerry Jones, and as Dallas' 2024 season has evolved into a disaster since then it's fully inevitable Mike McCarthy is in his final weeks as head coach.

The Cowboys surely won't be the only team ready and willing to pay Johnson handsomely to become their next head coach. But if there's anything to being the first to let it get out that you will, Jones and Dallas won that race.