The Jacksonville Jaguars were reportedly very aggressive in their pursuit of Ben Johnson.
Johnson, however, declined their approaches to become their head coach.
The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator took the Chicago Bears’ job instead, and one insider provided some insight into that decision.
“Ben Johnson turned down the Jaguars’ head coaching gig because he wasn’t interested in their ‘setup,’ per Dianna Russini (of The Athletic),” JPAFootball wrote on X. “Jaguars owner Shad Khan said that retaining GM Trent Baalke wouldn’t have affected their chances to hire the top candidates this cycle, but he appears to have been wrong.”
??????: Ben Johnson turned down the #Jaguars’ head coaching gig because he wasn’t interested in their “setup” per @DMRussini
Jaguars Owner Shad Khan said that retaining GM Trent Baalke wouldn’t have affected their chances to hire the top candidates this cycle, but he… pic.twitter.com/sXFZLEbz8S
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 21, 2025
Baalke has been one of the league’s most criticized general managers for years, so it made sense that Johnson looked out for himself.
Last month, Khan admitted that he would consider firing Baalke if a head coaching candidate made a compelling argument to do so, but Johnson may not have been convincing enough.
Notably, if this isn’t a wake-up call for the Jaguars, it’s hard to imagine what would make the owner reconsider his stance on Baalke.
The Jaguars looked like a team on the rise a couple of seasons ago, but it seems they haven’t been able to shake off their perennial struggles.
They will now have to scramble to find a new head coach, and though they have talent on their roster, this isn’t great advertising for the position.
It’ll be interesting to see who ends up taking the job and, more importantly, if that person can turn the franchise around despite their GM.
NEXT: Robert Saleh Will Have Second Interview With AFC Team On Friday
