Last week, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports revealed that Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, is requesting a $15 million annual salary from any team that wishes to hire him as their head coach.
While some have questioned whether Johnson truly requested such a high salary, ESPN’s Adam Schefter hinted that it might not be too far from what a team like the Carolina Panthers would actually be willing to pay to acquire an emerging head coach candidate like Johnson during a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“DeMeco Ryans got $8 million a year over six years last year, and he took advantage of Houston’s history of having so many coaches to get a longer-term deal,” Schefter stated. DeMeco received six years out of Houston guaranteed at a higher rate because all of the coaches’ contracts are guaranteed. In my opinion, Ben Johnson has the ability to take a similar action if he wants the Carolina job. The DeMeco deal serves as the foundation, but Johnson’s deal is more lucrative this year.
In keeping with my earlier report on #Lions OC Ben Johnson, several highly-placed personnel verified last week that the #Panthers are one of the teams that have asked for and/or discussed accepting a $15 million asking price for the hot coordinator, who most recently assisted Detroit in winning its first…
In the offseason of last year, Johnson took an interview to be the head coach of the Panthers, but he ultimately decided to stay with the Lions.
The reason Carolina is reportedly interested in Johnson is that they need a mentor for their first-round pick, Bryce Young, 22, who has struggled in his rookie season under interim head coach Chris Tabor and former head coach Frank Reich, who was fired 11 games into the season.
With a passer rating of 75, Young has completed 59.7% of his passes for 2,671 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. As Carolina’s starting quarterback, he is 2–12 with a passing yardage ranking of 20, touchdowns scored in 24, completion percentage, and passer rating of 27.
Jared Goff has had a career resurgence under Johnson’s coaching, with a 20-12 record over the last two years while throwing for 8,422 yards, 56 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and a passer rating of 98.8. This season, Goff is ranked fifth in passer rating and third in passing yards and touchdowns.
On the other hand, Carolina’s offense is ranked 30, 29, and 30th in the same categories, while the Lions offense is ranked third in total offense and fifth in both passing and scoring offense.
“It’s a good situation to be in if you’re a guy like Ben Johnson in Detroit and the Panthers are desperate for you and you’ve already said no once,” Schefter said. “They want to bring you in to work with Bryce Young.” “.. When he declined last year, he had the option to decline again. At that point, David Tepper asks, “Are you ready to say no to six years and $10 million a year?” I’m just making these numbers up on the spot.
