Ben Johnson apparently was “Not Afraid” to pass up on potential head coaching opportunities, much to the excitement of one rap megastar.
The Lions’ 37-year-old offensive coordinator has decided to stay with the team after being a candidate for both the Commanders’ and Seahawks’ head coaching vacancies.
Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, couldn’t contain his excitement over Johnson’s decision to stay in Detroit.
“Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!! Lol!! @ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!!” Eminem, a huge supporter of the Lions, wrote on X on Tuesday. “We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!…I’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super bowl!!!”
The Lions nearly did make the Super Bowl this year, leading the 49ers in the NFC Championship game 24-7 at the half before a slew of mistakes and controversial decisions from Detroit led San Francisco to charge back and secure a 34-31 win.
Eminem was at the game at Levi’s Stadium decked in Lions gear and was seen flipping off 49ers fans from a suite inside the venue.
Despite the loss, the hip-hop star showed his support for the club after the game.
“So proud of the @Lions Thanks 4 an amazing season!!!! We’ll b back!!!” he wrote in a Sunday X post.
The Lions should have optimism that they could return to the playoffs again, especially now that Johnson is back in the fold.
Under his direction, the offense ranked fifth in the league in points per game (27.1) and third in total yards per contest (394.8) before the Lions reached the NFC title game for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
Johnson, who came to the Lions in 2019, now will be entering his third year as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Under his leadership, quarterback Jared Goff finished the 2023 regular season with 4,575 passing yards — his second straight with 4,400-plus yards — and 30 touchdowns to lead the offense.