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Lions Give Ben Johnson Low-Effort Send-Off After Taking Bears Job

Even though Ben Johnson was an instrumental part to the Lions' recent success, that didn't stop them from giving their ex-OC a seriously weak goodbye message.

By Devon Platana

Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson before a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson before a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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The Detroit Lions lost one of the most important members of their coaching staff on Tuesday.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's time in the Motor City is officially over as he's now been hired to be the head coach of the rival Chicago Bears. He played a key role in the Lions' offensive improvements throughout the last half-decade, meaning head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit fanbase will surely miss Johnson's presence.

It isn't unusual for NFL franchises to pen lengthy goodbye letters when a beloved team member leaves. The Lions have also shared a send-off message following Johnson's job change, however, it likely wasn't the type of note fans were expecting.

Lions Share Weak Ben Johnson Goodbye Letter

On Tuesday night, the Lions announced that Johnson was officially leaving to become the Bears HC. In addition to that message, the franchise shared a ridiculously small four-word goodbye that read, "Thank you, Ben Johnson."

That's it. That's all.

On one hand, it's understandable why the team didn't post a lengthy send-off letter. After all, the Bears are one of the Lions' biggest rivals, meaning they'll have to face their former OC twice per season. Even though it's all love now, it won't take long before bad blood brews.

On the other hand, the lackluster message is somewhat of a slap in the face to a beloved coach.

The Lions owned one of the NFL's most anemic offenses before Johnson joined the fold as an offensive quality coach ahead of the 2019 campaign. It didn't take long for the Charleston, SC native to rise up the rankings, being promoted to tight ends coach (2020-21) and passing game coordinator before being named the OC in 2022.

After Johnson took control of the offense, the Lions have gone on to rank fifth, fifth, and first in terms of points per game across the last three seasons. Without his genius mind getting the most out of Detroit's offensive playmakers, there's a good chance the Lions wouldn't be among the league's top contenders.

While the team's goodbye was disappointing, Lions fans likely won't forget Johnson's contributions anytime soon. He's a big reason why Detroit fans have been excited to watch games throughout the last handful of seasons and, hopefully, Campbell & Co. find a way to keep that trend going into the 2025 campaign.

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