Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has spent the past decade rising through the ranks of the NFL.
This past off season, due in large part to the Lions turnaround where they were battling for a playoff spot at the end of the year, Johnson was involved in a number of NFL head coaching searches.
Those searches included opportunities in Indianapolis, Houston and Carolina, but Johnson ultimately decided to pull his name from contention and committed to returning to run Dan Campbell's offense in Detroit for another season.
While the decision had Detroit fans fired up for all the right reasons, that decision left many wondering why the 36-year-old rising star in the profession would walk away from the rare opportunity to lead one of 32 NFL franchises.
According to PFT, Johnson shared with The Athletic that his heart was set on coming back to Detroit because of the relationship he has with Dan Campbell and the rest of the staff, and because he genuinely wants to be around good people.
"There are only 32 of the jobs, and I was honored that I had three requests come out. Did some due diligence on it...I can just speak on a personal level. Some people, they really want to climb as fast as they can. I know particularly young coaches want to do that. That’s not been the case for me."
“I want to win football games. I want to be around good people. And when I finally had a chance to step back and take a deep breath and look at it, that was the most important thing. I love Dan Campbell, I’ve known him for a long time, I believe in the direction of this organization. So that truly was the biggest drawing point for me to come back."
That's a rare, and refreshing outlook in a profession where so many are dedicated to climbing to the top as fast as possible.
Johnson, who has been a part of a number of losing seasons while coaching in the league, goes on to share that he believes they are building something special and are close being able to "kick the door down," and once that happens, "all bets are off."
Provided the rebuild continues to trend upwards in Detroit, the number of suitors coming after Johnson are bound to grow next season, and it will become harder and harder for Campbell to hold onto his loyal coordinator.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for all the latest coaching news.