Lions OC Ben Johnson reportedly seeking $15 million per year in head coach deal

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was a buzzy head coaching candidate last offseason but decided to return to his role under head Dan Campbell in Detroit. That move paid off, as Johnson has continued to draw praise while helping the Lions to their first division title in 30 years, setting up the offensive coordinator as an even higher-profile head coach candidate this time around.

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And Johnson is already reportedly trying to leverage that interest. According to “Undisputed” contributor Josina Anderson, Johnson is seeking a contract worth around $15 million per year — and the Carolina Panthers, one of the teams already with a head coach opening after firing Frank Reich midseason, are aware of that ask.

However, Johnson’s agent refuted the initial report in a post to social media, saying there is no asking price or demand for Johnson’s services:

Exact NFL coach salaries are hard to come by publicly, but using 2023 figures from Sportico and NBC Sports, Johnson’s desired contract would tie him with Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks for third-richest in the NFL, behind only Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.

In fact, Johnson would be the only coach making more than $10 million per year who has not previously won a Super Bowl as a head coach. Aside from Belichick, Payton and Carroll, only the Los Angeles Rams‘ Sean McVay, Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Mike Tomlin, Kansas City Chiefs‘ Andy Reid and Baltimore Ravens‘ John Harbaugh are making more than $10 million in 2023.

[Ranking 10 potential NFL coaching vacancies: Which teams would be most appealing?]

However, Panthers owner David Tepper reportedly has Johnson at the top of his post-Christmas wish list as he seeks another offensive-minded head coach to get quarterback and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young back on track. Johnson has drawn rave reviews for how he resurrected the career of another former No. 1 overall pick, Jared Goff, in Detroit. The deep-pocketed Tepper could give Johnson a lucrative deal, especially since Johnson grew up in North Carolina and once played quarterback at the University of North Carolina.

‘We all had faith’ — Bryce Young speaks on Panthers’ game-winning drive to defeat Falcons

ESPN reported Tuesday that while Johnson may not find anyone to meet his initial asking price, he still may find something close to the $10 million figure given that DeMeco Ryans, a fellow high-profile successful coordinator turned first-time head coach last offseason, received a six-year contract from the Houston Texans for roughly $8 million per year. The Texans are still in playoff contention at 8-7 on the season, vaulting Ryans into 2023 NFL Coach of the Year contention.

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