Johnson is one of five candidates linked to the Patriots’ head coaching vacancy.
Less than 24 hours after firing Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots sent out their first of only two interview requests to fill their now-vacant head coaching position. The honor went to Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions and one of the hottest commodities on the market this cycle.
What makes the 38-year-old such a prominent target, though? And why do the Patriots see him as an attractive candidate for the job? Let’s take a closer look at him to answer those questions, and get a glimpse into what the organization might look like under a head coach Ben Johnson.
Hard facts
Name: Ben Johnson
Opening day age: 39 (5/11/1986)
Current position: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator
Coaching stops: Boston College (2009-11), Miami Dolphins (2012-18), Detroit Lions (2019-)
Interview status: Completed (1/10/2025)
Experience
Playing experience: Johnson played quarterback at A.C. Reynolds High School in his hometown of Asheville, NC, leading the Rockets to a 4-A state title as a junior in 2002. He later walked on and played four years at the University of North Carolina, serving as a backup quarterback and part-time special teamer between 2004 and 2007.
Graduating with a B.A. in mathematics and computer science, Johnson left football to pursue a career as a software developer in Durham, NC. However, after only one year he followed the game’s calling again.
Coaching experience: In 2009, Johnson followed his former offensive coordinator at UNC, Gary Tranquill, to Boston College, He started off as a graduate assistant under head coach Frank Spaziani, a role he held for two seasons. In 2011, Johnson was promoted to tight ends coach, working with Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers.
The following year, Johnson was hired by new Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and offensive coordinator Mike Sherman. Working on a staff that also featured future NFL head coach Dan Campbell and Zac Taylor, he started out as an offensive coaching assistant but was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach the following year.
Johnson briefly coached tight ends in 2015. He was retained under the new regime of head coach Adam Gase and offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen in 2016, but was moved to assistant wide receivers coach under Shawn Jefferson. Two years later, he was promoted to wideouts coach to work with a group that featured three past or future Patriots in Danny Amendola, DeVante Parker and Isaiah Ford.
In 2019, Johnson crossed paths with another ex-Patriot: he joined the staff of then-Lions head coach Matt Patricia, first working as offensive quality control coach and later tight ends coach under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Even though Patricia was fired in 2020, Johnson remained in his role under incoming head coach and former Dolphins colleague Dan Campbell. One year later, in 2022, Campbell named Johnson the team’s offensive coordinator after the team announced its parting of the ways with previous OC Anthony Lynn.
Johnson has remained in that role ever since, and quite successfully so. With him running the show on offense, the Lions have been ranked first in points per game and EPA per play over the last three seasons combined.
Detroit perspective
To get a more comprehensive look at Johnson, we touched base with Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit. Jeremy was kind enough to answer some questions about Johnson and what he would bring to New England.
What makes Ben Johnson worthy of being an NFL head coach?
Well, there’s the obvious factor of leading one of the best offenses in football for the past three years. They ranked fifth in scoring in 2022, fifth in 2023, and first in 2024. This is not simply the case of grabbing the hottest offensive mind in football, he’s built in sustainability, while other hot coaches have fizzled out. That speaks to his ability to adjust and grow. He does not get complacent, and does not stop adding to his playbook. The trick plays catch all the highlights and attention, but he also is a great situational play-caller, strong game planner, and is extremely detail-oriented.
What stands out about his time in Detroit?
The points. The Lions set a franchise record this year with 564 points (33.2 per game), including 10 games of at least 30 points scored and six with at least 40.Additionally, he deserves a ton of credit for resurrecting Jared Goff’s career. Where Sean McVay saw a limited player, Johnson saw one worth investing in. Back in 2022, Johnson spent three days together locked in a room with Goff tirelessly going over favorite concepts, plays, and strategies. He then leaned into Goff’s strengths and tendencies, and started to build the offense you see today.
Would he be a good head coaching hire for the Patriots, and what could fans expect from him?
I can certainly see the appeal of Johnson in New England, particularly with a young quarterback like Drake Maye. It remains to be seen whether Johnson can develop a young quarterback, because he was handed a veteran quarterback with Super Bowl experience. Still, Johnson’s best quality is his willingness to collaborate.
In addition to his pow wow with Goff, he also asks offensive linemen to hand in their favorite plays every week to help build their game plan. It’s going to take a while, because every player comments about just how detail-oriented everything they do is, but if you get the right players who can execute that level of play, he’s going to create something special.As for who he is as a person, he can be pretty funny and informative during his press conferences, but he’s a firecracker in practice. He’ll be one of the loudest coaches on the field, and isn’t afraid to lay into a player, when necessary. But it never seems to cross the line of being disrespectful. He simply holds his players to a high standard.