Lions offensive coordinator decided to stay in Detroit for next season, despite head coach interest from other teams. Johnson pulled his name from the other jobs, saying he wants to keep things going with the Lions.
Johnson gave some insight into his decision to stay with head coach Dan Campbell, saying the system, coaches and future of the Lions are the main reason he was not interested in changing teams.
"It's really simple for me," Johnson said (via NFL.com). "It starts with this place and these people. Been here four years now and I believe in [principal owner] Sheila [Hamp] and what she's doing. [Team president] Rod Wood. Dan [Campbell], Brad [Holmes]. It starts at the top and trickles down. ... This is as encouraged [as I've been] in my four years with the direction of the Lions and where we're headed."
Johnson could have received a promotion heading into 2023, but did not want to mess up an already good situation he had with Detroit.
"So many good people, coaches, players, I love the offensive staff and everyone we have on board there,'' Johnson said. "I love the players. I love coming into work every day. Coach Campbell is incredible, and so end of the day talking with my family it just made sense. Don't ruin a good thing."
The Lions utilized Johnson's clever play-calling to make a dramatic improvement from a 1-6 start, finishing 9-8 and second in the NFC North. Detroit received a lot of attention down the stretch and were in the playoff conversation until the final week of the season. Their improvement gave their fans and the team a lot of hope for the future and it was all capped off with an impressive win over Green Bay in the regular-season finale that kept the Packers out of the playoffs.
Johnson joined the Lions in 2019 under head coach Matt Patricia. He can cite one specific moment as the one that made him realize Detroit is somewhere he wanted to coach for years to come. It was not a game, or even a moment with the team, it was actually a Garth Brooks concert at Ford Field.
"I was thinking at the time and soaking in the atmosphere, and it was like, 'Holy cow, this is what a home playoff game is going to be like, and this is what I want to be a part of,'" he said. "'This is what I want to feel. This is what I want to experience.'''
He described the feeling he got, saying, "It made me feel some type of way and I kept going back to that as part of the process and you know what, there are so many good things going on here."
Johnson started in the NFL in 2012 as an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins, also serving as an assistant quarterback coach, tight ends coach, assistant wide receiver coach and wide receiver coach with the team. With the Lions, he has been the offensive quality control coach, tight ends coach, passing game coordinator and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022.
