Detroit Lions fans may miss Ben Johnson, but he won’t be far away

On January 21, 2025By Littum

Ben Johnson is in Chicago. And the only thing to say is … doesn’t he know that fluorescent-green flavor on a hot dog is the sign of an inferior city? Chili, mustard and onion are of course the superior toppings.

Also: How could he?

How could he go to one of the Detroit Lions’ division rivals? And the? Does he not like Detroit? Dan Campbell? The platform he got? Does he not understand how new all this is here? The Lions win? The death of SOL?

That his departure to Bears‘ head coaching job is the first time a coordinator has left the Lions to take over another NFL team since 1963? Does he not know the scars that lie in the unfathomable state?

Does he care? Or understand how sensitive we are here?

No wonder so many of you feel uneasy. It is understandable. Also, the rivalry just got better.

The lions will see the bears twice a year. They have a talented young quarterback and some exciting offensive playmakers. And Johnson just helped revive Jared Goff.

Wait, stop. Did he really take the Bears job?

Hey, joining the Raiders in Las Vegas would have been one thing. They play in the AFC, on the other side of the country, and would have faced the Lions once every few years, depending on the vagaries of the NFL’s rotating schedule. Johnson could have made Detroit a solid and took that job.

Or even the Jacksonville Jaguars vacancy.

Yes, like the Bears, they have a promising young quarterback. But like the Raiders, the Jags reside in the AFC. So do the New England Patriots, the other outfit Johnson interviewed with.

Then again, the Patriots hired one of their own, Mike Vrabel, so we can’t blame Johnson there. But still… the bears?

Really?

Talk about tinkering. As a friend wrote on Monday afternoon:

“A rough 48 hours for you all. How cold is it, really?”

He’s a Texan and no Lions fan, but even he understand that you do not leave your home for your enemy. Although he also understands this:

The Lions still have Dan Campbell as head coach and Brad Holmes as general manager.

So…bring it on?

You can bet the Lions just circled the dates on their fall calendars — or circled them in their imaginations, since the NFL hasn’t given us dates yet. You get the idea.

Just when it looked like the Minnesota Vikings might take a step back — Sam Darnold coming off his devastation of the Lions or JJ McCarthy coming off a torn meniscus is a choice at QB – and the Green Bay Packers can take a step sideways, the best offensive coordinator this franchise has had in decades – maybe ever — jumping ship for the fourth-ranked team in the NFC North.

And he can be a quarterback whisperer, which is troubling given the QB he’ll now guide — 2024 No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams – threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns the last time the Bears and Lions met.

So yes, Johnson has someone to work with. But then, so will the Lions’ next offensive coordinator.

Fall can’t come soon enough.

Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.