NFL Rumors: Tom Brady, Raiders ‘Willing to Wait’ for Lions’ Ben Johnson for HC Job
Adam WellsJanuary 11, 2025
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Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders will be patient waiting for Ben Johnson to decide if he wants to become their head coach.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders are “willing to wait” for Johnson to become available if the Detroit Lions have a long playoff run.
Rapoport noted Johnson had a virtual interview with the Raiders on Friday. He spoke with the Chicago Bears on Saturday and is also slated to talk to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Brady “has been doing all he can to woo Johnson” to join the Raiders.
NFL on CBS š @NFLonCBS”I’m told [Tom Brady] has been doing all he can to woo Johnson.”
– @jjones9 on the Raiders’ pursuit of Lions OC Ben Johnson pic.twitter.com/j9BfvB1qTo
Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager later added Johnson to the Raiders is “picking up way more steam in league circles” over the last 48 hours.
Johnson figures to be one of the most sought-after coaching candidates in this hiring cycle. The New England Patriots announced on Friday they also completed a virtual interview with the 38-year-old.
Even though the Raiders haven’t exactly a model of stability that a prominent candidate like Johnson would seem to prefer, they could have an ace in the hole this time around.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Brady’s presence as part of the Raiders’ ownership group has given them “an edge” in attracting candidates who may otherwise not have seriously considered working for them.
Russini previously reported Brady will have “a lot” of influence on the team’s coaching search. They are also in the market for a new general manager after firing Tom Telesco on Thursday after a 4-13 record in his lone season with the club.
Another complicating factor in all of this is whether or not Johnson actually wants to leave Detroit. He has been a top head-coaching candidate for the past two years, only to decide he wanted to remain with the Lions.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, some people within the league believe Johnson could return to Detroit in 2025.
Telesco’s firing could also help the Raiders with a candidate like Johnson, who would presumably want to be paired with a general manager that he has at least some rapport with to avoid a situation where there are competing roster-building philosophies.
The Raiders need to hit a home run with this hiring because this will be their fifth different head coach since the start of the 2018 season if you include Rich Bisaccia’s interim stint in 2021 after Jon Gruden’s resignation.
That type of instability is one of the big reasons the Raiders have only made the playoffs twice since 2003.
