Despite Eminem’s Threat, Ben Johnson Reveals Why He Actually Ditched HC Jobs to Stay With Detroit Lions

Ben Johnson for the past four seasons has been an eminent part of the Detroit Lions. His tenure with the team witnessed the Lions conquering the three decades of playoff drought. Not only that, they surpassed teams like the Denver Broncos in last year’s December game (42-17) and came up victorious against the Rams in the Wild Card Round, and the Buccaneers in the divisional round. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise when teams like Commanders, and others reached out to the Lions offensive coordinator for the HC position. Surprisingly, though, Johnson took a step back and chose the Lions once again, unknowingly falling in step with rapper Eminem’s threat.

Recently, in an interview, the OC revealed his actual reasons for making such a decision. He said, “Something that really resonates with me is … Okay, eight openings this past year. What would set the over/under in three years? How many still have jobs? Shoot, I’d put the over/under at 4.5. I would say there’s a good chance five of them are out of jobs in three years.”

Johnson’s response reflects his insight concerning the intricacies of the position of a head coach in any team and he wants to take calculative risks. The 38-year-old is 24-26 with the Lions as their OC and with an arsenal like Jared Goff, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta, Detroit’s stocks are projected to soar even higher this year. Besides rooting for the Lions, the OC wants to strengthen his resume for rightfully taking the head coaching position.

“When I look at it from that perspective, if I get the opportunity to go down that road it’s about how do I get to that second contract. How do I set myself up? The stars need to align. I’m not going to do it just to do it. I love what I’m doing right now,” said Johnson. The OC was a crucial part of the team and helped turn a 3-13 season in 2021 into a 9-8 season (2022) and eventually, a 12-5 season in 2023 under Dan Campbell.

While the decision has a calculated reason behind it, Johnson did not shy away from sharing sentimental grounds for the same. He said, “I like the sunshine. I like what we’ve built here, starting with ownership, the head coach, and the GM on down. We have a great group of guys in the locker room, and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer.”

Unintentionally, this decision of the offensive coordinator has aligned with Lions superfan and Detroit’s pride Emimen and his wishes. The “Mockingbird” artist after a hopeful 2023 season did not shy away from putting forth his disposition concerning the Lions in general and Ben Johnson in particular.

Eminem’s  threat meets a “stop,” thanks to Ben Johnson

The Motor City-Dan Campbell era is on its peak and Eminem would prefer to let it stay that way. Last season when the Lions put up a great performance, the famous rapper came forth with an unexpected request. He said, “Back on track/// that’s what I’m talking bout!!!!@Lions. Ben Johnson, dont leave us!!!”  However, the rumors and speculations concerning the move from Ben Johnson’s side were still thick in the air.

To emphasize his request, the “Superman” artist made a threat to diss the OC on a track during his DJ Whoo Kidd’s radio show. “Ben Johnson, if you leave us, this record is coming,” Eminem said. “This song is coming.” However, now that Johnson has finally decided to be part of the Lions franchise, there couldn’t have been anyone more happy than the rapper.

Eminem took to his X handle and wrote, “Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!! Lol!! @ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!…I’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super bowl!!!” clearly reflecting his sentiments and excitement concerning the massive decision.

Thus, for now, Johnson can take notes from Dan Campbell and learn from his successes and mistakes to set himself up for a head coaching career in the future. Where do you see Ben Johnson and the Lions in NFC Standings this year? Let us know below.