NFL Insider Compares Ben Johnson to HC Who’s Yet To Win a Playoff Game and Predicts Mike Vrabel’s Hiring Amidst Vacancies

4 more weeks and the 2024 regular season will end. Many poor-performing teams like the Raiders and Giants might shuffle their staffs. Some will get fired, and some will get hired. But the staff of teams like the Detroit Lions‘ Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are expecting bigger responsibilities as they have taken the team to the playoffs. After week 15, a few names are coming out who could potentially land a head coaching gig in the NFL.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport appeared on the December 11 episode of The Rich Eisen Show. He praised Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson, but later compared the latter’s policy to Mike McDaniel and said, “Ben Johnson is, I would say clearly, just scheme offensive play-calling wise clearly the top. Is her a front of the leader of men type? Maybe leaders come in all different forms. But I would say Vrabel is more of a kind of like the classic in that realm. Now again, you don’t have to be a classic like quote unquote leader of men like Mike McDaniel is not in Miami.” While Rapoport’s point about different coaching styles is valid, results matter.

Mike McDaniel took the helm of the affairs at the Dolphins in 2022. And his philosophy of forging personal relations has worked. However, there is one crucial part too. Despite entering the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, he hasn’t won any playoff games. Lions OC Johnson is different. A disciplinarian in practice who is never afraid to challenge the norms, and the locker room trusts him.

However, there is an important detail. Johnson has been at the Lions for a much longer time, since 2019. He started off as an offensive quality control coach in 2019, followed by a tight ends coach in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, he took over as the passing game coordinator and became their offensive coordinator in 2022.

He also couldn’t help them qualify for the playoffs in 2022. But emerged strongly in 2023 and 2024. However, time doesn’t always guarantee success. We saw it with the ‘classic’ coach Mike Vrabel’s stint at the Titans as they couldn’t qualify for playoffs in his last 2 years. But things have changed.

Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson are frontrunners for an HC job in 2025

By calling Mike Vrabel “one of the top candidates if not the top candidate,” and Ben Johnson “a really really really really good head coach candidate,” Rapoport has raised their stakes. Fans of teams like the Bears and the Patriots are requesting their owners to hire them.

The Pats have a 3-10 win-loss record after week 14, and their fans are pissed. HC Jerod Mayo’s job is in danger as a major change is expected. Frustrated with the losses, one fan wrote on X, “It’s necessary. Bring in Ben Johnson or Vrabel. Surround Drake Maye with the most qualified people possible.” That’s interesting.

In his 6 years at Titans, Vrabel has a 54-45 record. Even the Jets want to have a discussion with him about the HC job. The offseason will be definitely exciting. Expect many key changes in most franchises.