Ben Johnson Turned Down Jaguars Because Of Organizational Structure

The Jaguars had interest and were heavily pursuing former Lions OC Ben Johnson before he signed with the Bears, according to Dianna Russini. 

However, Russini says Johnson wasn’t interested in the Jaguars’ “setup.”

Jacksonville opted to retain GM Trent Baalke to the surprise of many around the league. 

Jaguars owner Shad Khan later said he didn’t think Baalke’s presence would impact their ability to lure a top coaching candidate, but based on Russini’s report, that doesn’t appear to be the case. 

Either way, the Jaguars have moved on to the second phase of their coaching search and will interview Robert Saleh, Patrick Graham and Liam Coen for the job this week. 

Johnson, 38, started his coaching career with Boston College in 2009 as a graduate assistant. From there, Johnson coached tight ends for the 2011 season.

The Dolphins hired Johnson in 2012 as an offensive assistant and he was later promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2013.

Johnson coached tight ends and wide receivers with the Dolphins until 2019 before the Lions hired him as a quality control coach. He coached tight ends for the Lions in 2020 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022. 

In 2024, the Lions offense ranked No. 1 in yards per game and No. 1 in points per game, including No. 2 in passing yards per game and No. 6 in rushing yards per game.