Former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson departed for the division rival Chicago Bears on Monday, and while Detroit will miss its offensive coordinator dearly, that won’t stop star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown from competing with him.
St. Brown said on his “St. Brown Podcast,” also featuring his brother Equanimeous, that he spoke to Johnson after he signed a deal in the neighborhood of $13 million per year with the Bears.
“I told him, I said, ‘Two times a year, Ben, we’re going to f–k you up,” St. Brown said while laughing after having chatted on the phone with Johnson.
St. Brown added that Johnson responded, “I’m going to f–k you up.”
The star receiver noted there was some competitive banter between the two, with St. Brown telling his former coordinator, “Ok, we’ll see. I told him I know all the plays he likes to run. I know all his tendencies, and we were going back and forth messing around.”
While the two jokingly traded barbs, St. Brown clearly still respects his now ex-coordinator.
Johnson had been criticized by many on social media for reportedly already building a coaching staff while the Lions still alive in the playoffs, with reports surfacing that he was already targeting former Saints head coach Dennis Allen to be his new defensive coordinator.
The Lions fell to the Commanders, 45-31, opening the door for Johnson’s exit.
“I know he was as locked in as he could be for that game,” St. Brown said.
Johnson will now compete in what could be the league’s most challenging division as the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all made the playoffs, with all three winning double-digit games.
St. Brown added that the two talked during exit interviews Sunday and Johnson told St. Brown that he wasn’t sure what he was going to do yet, but he was deciding among the Bears, Jaguars, and Raiders.
Johnson marked the first of the two expected Lions coordinator departures, which St. Brown acknowledged in saying “as of now, Aaron Glenn is still there, but I believe he will be gone.”
Glenn has not yet picked a destination but has interviewed twice with the Jets and is believed to be their target for head coach.
St. Brown came into the league in 2021, bringing in 912 yards that season while Johnson was the passing game coordinator and Anthony Lynn served as offensive coordinator.
The former USC star exploded as a second-year receiver while Johnson took over play calling, tallying 1,161 receiving yards the following year and accumulating at least 1,250 yards and double-digit touchdowns in each of his last two seasons.
