It was a day of heartbreak for Raider Nation, who had their sights set on now-former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their team’s next head coach. Momentum seemed to side with Johnson heading for Sin City to take over head coaching duties, but somehow, someway, a different outcome occurred. In a shocking move, the 38-year-old elected to take over the Chicago Bears instead. Incredibly, the Las Vegas Raiders let a near-guarantee slip from their grasps.
Except, that isn’t what happened.
Although many believe that to be the case, it’s quietly been well-documented that, in reality, the Raiders were never really in the running for Detroit’s offensive play-caller. NFL On Prime insider Albert Breer explained how things actually happened with the Silver and Black and Johnson, giving an ugly truth to the situation.
“Ben went into this hiring cycle with a different approach than he’s had the last couple of years. He wasn’t going to interview just anywhere. He also didn’t want to embarrass teams. There was some, ‘hey, we’re probably not interviewing with you guys, so just don’t even bother putting in a request. We’ll save you the trouble.’
And the Raiders initially were one of those teams, where he was going to say no to them. And then Tom Brady got involved.”
Now to be clear, Johnson didn’t end up interviewing with the Raiders simply as a sign of respect for Brady, nor as a favor. Sin City’s situation does indeed have enticing parts, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion is a big one of those parts.
However, the pitch was never enough to keep Las Vegas truly in the running. That’s why, on the very day he was able to continue interviewing, Johnson already came to a decision, and made it official.
The harsh reality of Ben Johnson and the Las Vegas Raiders
It’s a harsh truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless; at no point was Sin City actually the favorites to land Ben Johnson.
Fox Sports’ NFL insider Jordan Schultz explains that, while there was in fact some level of interest in the Raiders via Johnson, it never was enough to, at any point, consider Las Vegas the frontrunners for him.
“From my understanding – and as I mentioned last week – there was never a point when the Raiders were front runners for Ben Johnson, per sources. They had an interview that went really well, but Chicago was the early favorite in this process, and they finalized it today,” Schultz wrote on Monday.
And while Raider Nation thought ESPN’s Adam Schefter was just picking on Las Vegas, it turns out his doubt of Johnson landing with the Raiders was based on a development he was well-aware of.
On Friday, Schefter joined Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show, expanding on the Ben Johnson situation. The well-sourced insider noted he wasn’t on the “Johnson and Raiders train,” hinting that Chicago should be the real team to watch.
Schefter’s sources were right on the money.
In the end, although Johnson did have a moderate level of interest in the Raiders’ head coaching job, it was just that; a moderate interest. It was never enough to truly compete with his preferred destinations, which is precisely why Johnson had originally ruled Sin City out prior to Brady stepping in.
Now, it’s back to the drawing board for the Las Vegas Raiders, who weren’t able to reel in their prized fish.
*Top Photo: Steven Maturen/ Getty Images