It’s been months since Ben Johnson left Detroit to become the Chicago Bears’ new head coach, but Lions fans—and even the front office—are still feeling it.
Lions GM Brad Holmes recently opened up about the move during an appearance on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast. When asked about losing Johnson, Holmes kept it real.
“I really didn’t know which way it was going to go,” Holmes said. “I was thinking Chicago would have probably been the last destination… or I was hoping.”
Ouch.
Holmes made it clear he’s happy for Johnson. There’s no bad blood—just a lot of respect. “He is a hell of a coach, man. They have a really good one up there,” Holmes admitted.
But that doesn’t mean it didn’t sting. Losing one of the NFL’s top offensive minds is tough enough. Losing him to a division rival? That hits different.
“It’s a little like, man, why Chicago?” Holmes added.
That one line pretty much sums up how a lot of Lions fans feel. It’s not that Johnson didn’t deserve the opportunity—it’s that he’s now trying to build something with the Bears, a team Detroit would love nothing more than to keep buried at the bottom of the NFC North.
Holmes knows what Johnson brought to Detroit’s rise and just how big a loss this could be. The hope now is that Detroit can stay on track, keep building, and maybe even enjoy a little revenge of their own down the road.
One thing’s for sure: Lions vs. Bears just got a whole lot more interesting.
Holmes Gets Honest (and Hilarious) About Losing Ben Johnson to the Bears
