The Detroit Lions have the most sought-after candidate on the head coaching market in Ben Johnson, but Tom Brady apparently forgot that he existed, because the seven-time Super Bowl winner somehow failed to mention Johnson’s name a single time on Saturday night during Fox’s broadcast of Detroit’s shocking 45-31 playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
The fact that Brady didn’t mention Johnson’s name at all is worth noting because Brady could end up hiring the Lions offensive coordinator as the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Brady became a minority owner of the Raiders back in October and he’s played a key part in the team’s coaching search that has been going on since Antonio Pierce was fired on Jan. 7.
Johnson is viewed as the frontrunner to get the Raiders’ job and he actually interviewed with team last week and with Brady having a huge say in who the Raiders will hire, it’s probably safe to assume that Brady sat in on that virtual interview.
With Brady announcing a game involving the Lions, it seemed like the perfect time for him to talk about Johnson and what he’s meant to the Lions’ offense during his time in Detroit, but instead, Brady refused to mention him a single time.
Brady’s partner in the booth, Kevin Burkhardt, gave Brady an opportunity early in the game to talk about the coaching search. Burkhardt specifically asked Brady how he’s “evaluated” Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (who has also interviewed with the Raiders) and Brady responded by essentially ducking the question.
“It’s just been a great learning experience,” Brady said. “What you realize is the league’s full of great potential, and what I believe is, the resumes, the accolades, they’re all earned by what people do on the field. You earn your opportunities, and you do your performance, and let that all do the talking, just as it should be, and as I did when I was a player.”
As you just read, Brady didn’t mention Glenn or Johnson in his answer. Brady did mention Glenn’s name later in the broadcast, but again, Johnson’s never came up even though there were several opportunities for Brady to mention him.
in the third quarter, the Lions called a trick play that saw Jared Goff pitch the ball to David Montgomery, who then threw a shovel pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 20-yard gain. It was a brilliant play and it would have been a perfect time for Brady to mention Johnson by name, but once again, he didn’t.
Although Brady did say it was a play that he had “never seen in” his life, he didn’t give Johnson any direct credit.
“I guess when you believe in your players so much, you’ll do anything,” Brady said, without specifically mentioning Johnson.
The fact the Brady didn’t offer Johnson any credit was so bizarre that even an employee of NFL Media pointed it out.
Brady had another obvious chance to mention Johnson’s name in the fourth quarter after the Lions’ offensive coordinator dialed up an ill-fated trick play that saw Jameson Williams throw an interception.
On that play, Burkhardt set Brady up for some commentary on Johnson by throwing out the following statement, “Ben Johnson dials up a trick play like no one else and they normally work, but that was a disaster,” Burkhardt said, via The Athletic.
Despite Burkhardy lobbing him a softball, Brady didn’t criticize Johnson or even mention him.
It’s unclear whether fans care about this conflict of interest, but it was certainly bizarre to see Brady go an entire game without mentioning Johnson by name.
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Author: John Breech
January 19, 2025 | 2:41 pm
