Ben Johnson, the Lions’ offensive coordinator, will most likely be in a different role next season. The great football mind was a front-runner for a few positions last year, but he chose to stay in Detroit for another year. This year, it seems certain that he will leave Detroit for a head coaching position elsewhere.
There are now six clubs looking for new head coaches. That includes the Raiders, who dismissed Antonio Pierce just one year after promoting him from interim head coach to full-time position. Las Vegas needs a new manager to lead a team with a lot of questions on the roster.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Johnson’s initial goal was to interview with only three teams: the Bears, Jaguars, and Patriots. New England is already out after hiring Mike Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo, leaving the Lions’ offensive coordinator with only two alternatives. However, new Las Vegas owner and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady apparently altered Johnson’s mind on the Raiders, according to Breer, and the great quarterback may now be assisting in bringing the Detroit mastermind to Vegas.
The future Hall of Famer is in his debut year as color commentator for the network’s top team, working alongside Kevin Burkhardt. Brady will call the divisional round game between the Lions and the Commanders, the same game in which his probable future head coach will be involved.
Several fans have expressed concern about a potential conflict of interest while Brady is in the broadcast booth for the Detroit game. Here’s everything you should know about the situation.
Tom Brady-Ben Johnson controversy explained
When Brady formally announced his ownership of the Raiders, a slew of individuals pointed out the issue of him owning an NFL team while still broadcasting games for a major network. A lot of people expressed concerns that it would result in a conflict of interest, but nothing changed.
Despite his financial involvement in the Las Vegas club, Brady’s status at Fox remained unchanged. He was on the mic with Burkhardt week after week, leading the network’s coverage of the big game on Sundays. In reality, it was reported that he might still call Raiders games, but he did not appear on the mic for either of Las Vegas’ games on Fox in 2024.
The issue now is that he is apparently going to be engaged in the head coaching hire for Las Vegas, which involves determining if Johnson is the right man for the position. It creates a potential conflict of interest, as Brady is expected to criticize Johnson’s play-calling during the Lions-Commanders divisional-round matchup.
“I think this is absurd,” David Baugh of 670 The Score stated on Monday. “I don’t want Tom Brady to play this game. He should not be. This is ridiculous. This is a complete conflict of interest. If the NFL doesn’t address it, it will become much more offensive. You’ve got to deal with this somehow.
Brady already has constraints on what he can and cannot do because of his ownership. However, nothing prevents him from complimenting Johnson for anything he performs during the playoffs versus Washington. Given Johnson’s interest in the post, it creates an unpleasant situation in which a potential future boss compliments his next employee in front of a national audience.
Does it have an impact on whether Johnson gets the job or not? Not really. Brady, like everyone else in Las Vegas’ pursuit for the next leader, is free to study the game. But fans watching the Lions game on Saturday night will likely be disappointed to hear Brady extol Johnson’s praises, given that he has also been an active recruiter in bringing the offensive coordinator to the Raiders.
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