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3 hours ago
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The Detroit Lions officially have an offensive coordinator to replace after Ben Johnson has reportedly been hired by the Chicago Bears as their next head coach.
The news comes from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, who notes that Johnson is going to fly to Detroit soon to finalize the deal. Pelissero adds that contract parameters are already in place.
Things moved a lot faster than everyone expected. The overwhelming thought was that Johnson would take in-person interviews with the team interested in him first, a list that included the Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.
However, as it turns out, Johnson made his mind up before taking part in the in-person meetings and is now headed to Chicago just days after the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs by the Washington Commanders.
Related: Why did Ben Johnson choose Bears over Raiders?
Lions fans were bracing for the loss of Johnson, and he will not be easily replaced, as he was very successful in his role in Detroit. But the fact that he took a job with a divisional rival only makes losing Johnson a tougher pill to swallow.
As you'd expect, Lions fans were not pleased to see Johnson go to Chicago.
"He shall henceforth be known as Benedict Johnson," one fan wrote.
"It's clear now Ben was worried about becoming a head coach vs. beating the (Commanders)," another fan said. "Oh well, Dan will have to teach a lesson and whoop him twice a year for awhile."
"New most hated man in Detroit," another fan wrote. "What a total worm."
On the flip side, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press offered a more level-headed take in the wake of Johnson choosing the Bears.
"You guys, there are 32 of these jobs in the world," he wrote. "This is the one that probably gives him the best chance to succeed in this hiring cycle, with a talented young quarterback. And he came (back) the past two years, yes for him but also when he didn’t have to."
Johnson taking the Bears job was at least a bit surprising, as momentum had been building for him to go to the Raiders instead. Whatever the case may be, Detroit will now draw a pair of matchups with their former offensive coordinator every year for the foreseeable future. As if the Lions-Bears rivalry needed more juice.
As far as where the Lions go from here is concerned, their top in-house candidates to replace Johnson include running backs coach and assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery, offensive line coach Hank Fraley and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
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