Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown and the rest of his teammates will enter the 2025 season without two coordinators who helped them become a league power.
Ben Johnson is the new head coach of the NFC North rivals Chicago Bears, while Aaron Glenn became head coach of the team that drafted him in 1994, the New York Jets.
St. Brown was closer to Johnson, the innovative player who helped blueprint a Lions offense that led the NFL in points per game in 2024.
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Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson before a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. (Daniel Bartel/Imagn Images)
Speaking about Johnson’s departure for the Bears on his “St. Brown Podcast” with his older brother Equanimeous, St. Brown said he spoke with his former coordinator after signing his deal to go to the Windy City.
And the message was quite clear.
“I told him, I said, ‘Twice a year, Ben, we’re going to fuck you up,'” St. Brown told his brother, laughing.
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Johnson, however, had a similar response to his former student.
“I’m going to fuck you up,” St. Brown recalled Johnson’s response.
The relationship is clearly one of mutual respect, and competitive banter is usually something that ensues.
“OK, we’ll see,” St. Brown replied to Johnson. “I told him I know all the plays he likes to play. I know all his tendencies, and we would go back and forth messing around.”
Even though the jabs were playful, St. Brown and Johnson will have to put their friendship aside twice a year as long as Johnson is the Bears’ head coach.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown runs for a touchdown during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Detroit on November 17, 2024. (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
With the conference championship games being played this weekend to determine who plays in the Super Bowl, the Lions should be back where they were in January 2024, when they collapsed in the second half against the San 49ers Francisco in the NFC title game. .
However, the Lions were eliminated in a 45-31 loss at Ford Field to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round, and Johnson was headed to Chicago a few days later.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ben Johnson are already kicking off their new rivalry. (Imagn)
Johnson has the Bears’ 2024 No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, to model alongside solid offensive weapons like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. St. Brown has also shown Williams respect in the past, especially given their connection to USC, but the Lions have beaten the Bears twice this season.
