Lions OC Ben Johnson Calls Out 'False Narratives' amid Commanders HC Search Rumors

Though Dan Quinn is the new head coach of the Washington Commanders, many around the league believed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would take over the position.

Johnson ultimately will remain in Detroit this season, and after rumors that Johnson wasn't a lock to get the job in Washington, he responded to the "false narratives" being spread.

"There was in my opinion some false narratives going on out there," Johnson said, per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. "And it started towards the end of last year, before I made the decision to pull out. That comes with the territory. I'm good with that. That's part of life in the NFL. So, [it] doesn't affect me. I do feel for the people around me. I hate that my family would ever read stuff that's not necessarily the case. But they handled it really, really well. . . .

"I think I sleep well at night knowing what happened, how it happened, why it happened. I'm good there. And the people that are closest to me, they know who I am and what I'm about."

The reports Johnson referred to claimed he was not a guaranteed candidate to become a head coach and that his asking price "spooked" teams.

The asking price that teams reportedly didn't like was $15 million a year, NFL insider Josina Anderson reported in December. If that annual salary is accurate, it would have put him near the top of the list of the highest-paid coaches in the league.

There's no question that a head coaching job will come for Johnson at some point, but he said Thursday that he's fine remaining an assistant for now.

"I think when it boils down to it, I want the sun to shine a little bit longer. That's really what it comes down for me," Johnson said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "I like the sunshine. I like what we've built here, starting with ownership, the head coach and the GM on down.

"We have a great group of guys in the locker room, and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer."

As Johnson said, he knows reports like the ones mentioned are just part of being a coach in the NFL. Now, he'll shift his focus back to Detroit, where he's looking to help lead the Lions to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Behind one of the top offenses in the league, the Lions claimed their first divisional title since 1993 a year ago and reached the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991. They were just shy of knocking off the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.