What Ben Johnson Staying in Detroit Means For Vikings, NFC North

In a bit of surprising news, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has informed the final two teams with head coaching vacancies — the Commanders and Seahawks — that he'll be remaining in Detroit in 2024. Washington officials were on their way to Detroit when they got the word from Johnson, though they'll still meet with Lions DC Aaron Glenn.

According to Adam Schefter, Johnson "was not the head-coaching lock that people thought and his asking price spooked some teams."

This is big news for the Lions and the rest of the NFC North. Johnson, 37, was seen as one of the top head-coaching candidates on the market during this year's hiring cycle, so it's somewhat shocking that he'll remain on Dan Campbell's staff for at least one more year. Assuming he had the opportunity to become the head coach of either Washington or Seattle, this is a fascinating decision on his part. The Commanders have the No. 2 overall pick and a ton of resources, while the Seahawks are a historically well-run organization with plenty of talent.

What this means is that the Lions, who blew a 17-point halftime lead in Sunday's NFC championship game, will enter 2024 as the clear favorites in the NFC North and one of the favorites to win the entire conference. The 2023 Lions finished fifth in offensive DVOA, eighth in EPA per play, and fourth in both total yards and points scored. Nearly all of their key pieces will be back next season, although they do have to make decisions on free agents like Jonah Jackson, Graham Glasgow, and Josh Reynolds. With Johnson, Jared Goff, and big-time talent at the skill positions, there's no reason why the Lions' offense won't again be among the league's best.

There's a chance the Vikings will take an intentional step back in 2024, but it seems more likely that they'll load up and try to take back the division — with or without Kirk Cousins. That path just got more difficult on Tuesday.

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