a day ago
'Why Chicago?': Lions GM Brad Holmes hoped Ben Johnson wouldn't choose Bears
'Why Chicago?': Lions GM Brad Holmes hoped Ben Johnson wouldn't choose Bears
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he was at least hopeful that former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wouldn't leave for the Chicago Bears job.
"Why Chicago?" were among the thoughts Holmes shared with "Green Light" podcast host Chris Long in an interview posted Thursday. "I knew he had interviewed for Chicago but he interviewed for a lot of the other positions too so I really didn't know which way he was going to go."
Johnson had the opportunity to land with several teams including the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots. Holmes said he didn't know Johnson was going to land in Chicago until he'd accepted the job.
"I was thinking Chicago probably would've been the last destination, or I was probably hoping that," Holmes said. "I was happy for him. He's a hell of a coach..."
Johnson had been with the Lions since 2019, including the last three seasons as offensive coordinator of one of the more dynamic units in the NFL. Long asked Holmes if the team is having to "change the locks" and rebuild the offense with new OC John Morton in a way to make it different enough from what they were running under Johnson.]
"That really comes from Dan [Campbell], he's looking to evolve it regardless," Holmes said. "I don't see a lot of wholesale change, but there's going to be some evolution there just because that's how Dan is regardless."
The Lions host the Bears in Week 2 and will travel to Chicago in the season finale on Jan. 4.
