Well, that is certainly a stunner.
Ben Johnson was already a possible head-coaching candidate last January after Detroit's big push late, but he decided to stay with the Lions for what felt like a one-year push. Now one season later, everyone expected him to go, and he was my No. 1 candidate even in a flooded market with top names like Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel available.
Instead, Johnson will stay with the Lions at least one more season. So, what now?
Well, it's huge for Detroit. As much as everyone loves Dan Campbell, Johnson is the elite coach on that staff. He is the reason the Lions got as far as they did and the reason Jared Goff is playing so well with the offense humming. With Johnson back, expect the Lions to enter next season as serious Super Bowl favorites — likely top five in odds and at or near the top of the NFC. Now Detroit just needs to find some defensive answers.
On the other end of the spectrum, this is potentially devastating for Washington.
It certainly seemed like the Commanders had chosen Johnson, so what do they do now? Washington has new ownership and is looking to make a big splash, and now a bunch of the other top candidates have already been hired.
Does the team like Mike Macdonald? He was my pick for the Commanders before this cycle and he's right there in the DMV, but he's a very different candidate than Johnson. If it's not Macdonald, or if he chooses to stay too, could Washington panic and show up at Belichick's doorstep with a heap of gold and a blank check?
The Commanders are an intriguing team moving forward with the No. 2 draft pick in tow, but things just got much murkier for Washington with Johnson choosing to stay in Detroit.
