EXCLUSIVE: Why Ben Johnson Makes Sense For the Jaguars

It seems as if the Jacksonville Jaguars are forgotten when it comes to Ben Johnson and his candidacy for head coach.

Teams like the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders are frequently talked about when it comes to Johnson; the Bears have long been national media's pick to land the star Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, while the Raiders have recently gained steam.

The Jaguars spoke with Johnson in a virtual meeting last week, with Johnson becoming one of the Jaguars' first four interviews to replace Doug Pederson.

It sure seems like Johnson should have interest in the Jaguars' job, but yet one rarely sees the Jaguars tied to the hottest coaching commodity on the market outside of a few reports here and there.

But is that an actual reality when it comes to Johnson and his chances to land in Jacksonville, and should people actually be surprised to hear the Jaguars have a chance to land Johnson?

Here is what a senior NFL executive told Jacksonville Jaguars On Sports Illustrated about Ben Johnson and the Jaguars.

"I don’t understand why people are acting like it’s news that Ben Johnson would be interested in the Jacksonville Jaguars job. A great and highly undervalued owner, a beautiful new stadium, and team headquarters, terrific young quarterback. The issue is the GM, but Khan has made it clear that is not an issue," he said.

"While I still believe the Raiders are the frontrunner, the Jacksonville job is damn well impressive and if they don’t get Johnson, they don’t feel like they would be settling for Liam Coen."

It has long been thought by many that Johnson, who has reportedly placed a high emphasis on the general manager role, could potentially be discouraged from the Jaguars job since they did not make a move at general manager. With that said, Johnson very well could still be seen as an option in Jacksonville.

We will see in the coming weeks who lands Johnson, but it seems early to count the Jaguars out.

As On Sports Illustrated Colleague Hondo S. Carpenter, who serves as beat reporter for the Las Vegas Raiders, has previously reported, if the Raiders do not hire Johnson, money will have nothing to do with it.

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