Ben Johnson insists that his thoughts at the moment are squarely on his job as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, finishing out the regular season and looking to the playoffs.

But he can’t deny what he says is a “fire” inside him to become an NFL head coach someday, KyleAustin of Mlive reports.

“I think there’s a burning desire in every man to find what he’s made out of, push the limits and see if he’s got what it takes,” Johnson said on Thursday. “And so, yeah, there’s a fire there. When that time is, I don’t know when that will be. But there’s a fire there.”

The questions of Johnson about his future come this week because the Lions are playing the Bears, who fired coach Matt Eberflus shortly after a Thanksgiving loss in Detroit late last month to create the third opening of the 2025 NFL coaching carousel.

With a promising young quarterback in Caleb Williams completing his rookie season, plus other young talent on the roster, the Bears are seen as one of the most attractive open or likely-to-open head coaching jobs in the upcoming hiring cycle.

And Johnson, whose offense leads the NFL at 32.8 points per game, is likely to be one of the hottest coaching candidates in the 2025 cycle. Last offseason, he interviewed with five teams before ultimately deciding to withdraw and return to Detroit for this season.

Johnson won’t turn his attention to the hiring process until after the Lions’ season ends. But he said going through multiple 2024 hiring processes, plus receiving interest in the 2023 coaching cycle, has him more prepared to go through the process after the Lions’ season.

“I’d say I’m much more prepared than I was the last two years,” Johnson said. “…Now that I’ve been through the ringer a couple of times, had some interviews, I certainly do feel more prepared just from a big-picture standpoint.”

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