ASHBURN, Va. — The Super Bowl is set for a showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas. Now that the Super Bowl run is over for the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens, some possible candidates for a head coaching job with the Burgundy and Gold are available for in-person interviews.
The Detroit Lions came up short in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. The success-starved Lions appeared poised to make their first Super Bowl in franchise history when they took a 24-7 halftime lead against the Niners only to allow 27 straight points in a mistake-filled second half.
Detroit remains the only team to play every season of the Super Bowl era without reaching the ultimate game. This looked as though it could be the breakthrough season to end that drought when Detroit won back-to-back playoff games after winning just one in the previous 56 seasons.
But the Lions must wait at least another year to have a chance at their first NFL championship since 1957.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a top choice to take the head coaching job in Washington. The Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and could select a quarterback with that pick. WUSA9 Sports Director Chick Hernandez said having someone with offensive coordinator experience makes sense to develop a rookie QB.
The 37-year-old Johnson joined Detroit’s staff in 2019 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022. He was an assistant with Miami from 2012-2018.
On the other side of the ball, the Commanders have also reportedly requested an interview with Detroit's defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Meanwhile, over in the AFC, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is also a potential choice for Commanders head coach. The 36-year-old coach took over as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator in 2022 after serving as Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021. He spent seven seasons as an assistant with the Ravens before his one year with Michigan.
The Ravens had the NFL’s sixth-ranked defense overall and the top-ranked defense in scoring average this season.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at their magnificent best in the first half, and Kansas City’s defense was superb against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years with a 17-10 victory over the Ravens in the AFC Championship game Sunday.
The search for 31st coach in Washington franchise history is still going after team leadership announced it was parting ways with Ron Rivera. Majority owner Josh Harris brought in sports executives Bob Myers and Rick Spielman to aid in the search before adding new general manager Adam Peters to the team. While there were eight head coaching openings at the beginning of January, we are now down to two: the Commanders and the Seahawks.
The Seahawks have also interviewed Johnson. While many view Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn as a front runner for the Seattle opening -- due to his history within the Seahawks organization, Quinn is reportedly scheduled to meet with The Commanders this week.
The Commanders have already held virtual meetings with Johnson, MacDonald, Weaver and Glenn, so any additonal meetings would be second round interviews.
RELATED: WUSA9 EXCLUSIVE | Chick Hernandez sits down for one-on-one with new Commanders GM Adam Peters
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