NFL coaching news: Lions OC Ben Johnson to interview for 4 jobs

According to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will take four initial head coaching interviews this week. Per Schultz, Johnson is scheduled to interview with the Raiders and Patriots on Friday, and then the Bears and Jaguars on Saturday. It’s worth noting that The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that Johnson is only doing three interviews at the moment, excluding the Raiders from her list.

Johnson remains one of the hottest head coaching candidates for a third consecutive cycle, and for good reason. The Lions’ offense has now finished top-five in scoring for three consecutive years. This season, the Lions offense ranked first in the NFL and set a franchise record 564 points in a year (33.2 per game).

In recent years, Johnson apparently had options to leave for head coaching jobs, but chose to return to Detroit for unfinished business. But earlier this year, Johnson made it clear that he’s still very interested in making that leap.

“I think there’s a burning desire in every man to find what he’s made of, to push the boundaries and see if he’s got what it takes,” Johnson said. “So, yes, there is a fire there. Now, when the time comes, I don’t know when it will be, but there is definitely a fire there.”

Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — who also has four interviews scheduled — can only do virtual interviews at this point in the search process. Next week, those interviews will be put on hold as the Lions prepare for their divisional round of the playoffs.

You can track all the latest news on Johnson, Glenn and Chris Spielman in our 2025 NFL head coaching interview tracker.