Ben Johnson remains in the “first phase” of his 2025 considerations

As the NFL grapevine nearly burst with rumors linking Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Raiders, there’s a much simpler (and far less juicy) reality.

It is still very early in the process of making a decision about next year.

As one source with knowledge of the situation put it, the effort remains in the “first phase.” The information is being gathered on Johnson’s behalf while Johnson focuses entirely on his current job — preparing to face the Commanders in a divisional round playoff game tonight.

He interviewed virtually during the postseason bye week with the Raiders, Bears, Jaguars and Patriots. (The Patriots have since hired Mike Vrabel.) Johnson’s fourth option, unless other teams (like the Cowboys) come to the table, is to stay put.

“Alignment” with the front office is still the biggest factor. The best current chance for that comes in Las Vegas, where the team fired GM Tom Telesko two days after firing coach Antonio Pierce.

It is widely believed in league circles that Raiders minority owner/Fox primary broadcaster Tom Brady wants Johnson. And, right now, his best options appear to be to accept the Raiders job or stay where he is for one more season, at the very least.

The problem with the Raiders is the current quality of the roster, especially since the other three teams in the AFC West made the playoffs this year, and one of them is chasing a third straight Super Bowl victory.

And while Johnson won’t demand that teams like the Bears or Jaguars fire their general managers, the simple reality is that if either of those teams wanted him, it could greatly increase their chances of landing him. It’s also possible that, even without the vacancies, Johnson could be offered enough juice to secure the settlement he’s seeking.

The Bears and Jaguars are attractive for other reasons, starting with their running backs. Johnson turned Jared Goff from a guy Sean McVay was dying to get rid of into a franchise player whose name fans are chanting loudly. What could Johnson do with Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence?

Ultimately, the Bears and Jaguars have to ask themselves how badly they want Johnson and whether they’re willing to do whatever they think they need to do to lure him there.

While some teams may have shied away from Johnson because they don’t want to draft him, Johnson is a rare candidate who, given his choices, should be drafted.

It’s still early days. If the Lions lose, Johnson could do face-to-face interviews this week. If they win, teams that conducted virtual interviews can talk to him in person after the conference championship. The Cowboys can’t talk to him at all until the season ends in Detroit, as they didn’t conduct a virtual interview during the bye week. (The same rule applies to the Saints and Jets, neither of whom requested permission to interview Johnson during the bye week.)

None of that will stop the rumor mill from churning. For Johnson, things move much more slowly than the ever-changing NFL news cycle.