Patriots reportedly request interview with Lions OC Ben Johnson

The Patriots search for a new head coach is already off and running less than 24 hours after the team announced that Jerod Mayo had been fired.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Patriots have requested permission to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson about the vacancy left by Mayo’s dismissal. Johnson, 38, has been in his current role with Detroit since 2022. During that time, he’s engineered one of the league’s top offenses.

In 2024, the Lions led the NFL with 564 points during the regular season. Detroit has been top-5 in scoring throughout Johnson’s tenure as OC. His creative play-calling and organization have coaxed the best out of Lions quarterback Jared Goff and the rest of the offense.

And in terms of local ties, he notably began his coaching career as a Boston College graduate assistant in 2009.

The Patriots are expected to go through a more thorough hiring process in 2025 one year after essentially having preselected Mayo as Bill Belichick’s replacement. Along with Johnson, New England will undoubtedly interview former Patriots linebacker (and ex-Titans head coach) Mike Vrabel, among others.

The conclusion of the dismal 2024 season culminated on Sunday with, of all things, a “disappointing” win over the rival Bills. With the No. 1 pick potentially within sight should the team lose one more game, the Patriots knocked their own draft position down a few picks by securing the seaosn finale win at Gillette Stadium.

Still, the Patriots’ job opening is seen as a desirable setting, given the promise of quarterback Drake Maye, the ample salary cap space, and the fact that the pick number remains high at fourth overall.