The Dan Campbell analogy that helped inspire OC Ben Johnson to return to Lions

On the plane ride back from the Detroit Lions’ gut-wrenching loss to the San Francisco 49ers, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s mind wandered about his future. Johnson had just completed one of the most impressive seasons in Lions history. He had already conducted a few head coaching interviews, and more awaited him when the plane touched down.

But then he remembered an analogy Lions coach Dan Campbell made early in this era of Lions football.

“We’re sailing down the ocean, and at that moment, we were in the Arctic,” Johnson recalled. “We were hitting the icebergs, we had the storms going on. Those were dark days. But he had the foresight, he had the vision of where we were going, where we were headed. He assured us, ‘Guys, I see it. I see where we’re going. The results haven’t been there yet, but the Caribbean is on the horizon, it’s coming up.’”

Last year, the clouds parted, and for the first time, they got a taste of that tropical air. Prior to 2023, in his 11 years of coaching, Johnson had only made the playoffs once. He had never been a part of a playoff win. So after tallying two playoff wins last year and coming within a half of the Super Bowl, Johnson couldn’t shake the feeling on the plane that he wasn’t ready to leave.

“I wanted the sunshine a little bit longer, you know?” Johnson said. “That’s really what it comes down to for me. I like the sunshine, I like what we’ve built here, starting with ownership, the head coach, the GM, on down. We have a great group of guys in the locker room, and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer.”

Of course, that didn’t stop Johnson from looking. He was considered one of the top candidates for the Washington Commanders job, but as he explained this week, he plans on being very selective when it comes to head coaching opportunities. Many coaches only get a single shot, and the majority coaching hires in the NFL fail before they even get a second contract.

“Something that really resonates with me is, okay, eight (head coach) openings this past year? What would you set the over-under, in three years, how many still have jobs? I’d put the over-under at 4.5, I would say there’s a good chance that five of them are out of jobs in three years,” Johnson said. “So when I look at it from that perceptive, if I get the opportunity to go down that road, it’s about, how do I get to that second contract? How do I set myself up? The stars need to align. I’m not going to do it just to do it.

“I love what I’m doing right now—love it. I love where I’m at, my family loves where we’re at, love the people that we’re doing it with. So I’m not willing to go down the other path yet, unless I feel really good about how it’s going to unfold.”

With Johnson back in the fold, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn returning, and the Lions roster as strong as it’s ever been, the entire crew is hoping paradise is just around the corner.