Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown and the rest of his teammates will head into the 2025 season without two coordinators who helped make them a league power.
Ben Johnson is the new head coach of the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, while Aaron Glenn became the head coach of the team that drafted him in 1994, the New York Jets.
St. Brown was closer to Johnson, the innovative play-caller who helped engineer 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)
Discussing Johnson's departure to 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 head to the Windy City.
And the message was quite clear.
“I told him, 'Twice a year, Ben, we're going to screw you,'” St. Brown told his brother while laughing.
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Johnson, however, had a similar response for his former student.
“I'm going to screw you,” St. Brown remembers Johnson responding.
The relationship is clearly one of mutual respect, and competitive banter is often still there.
“Okay, we'll see,” St. Brown responded to Johnson. “I told him I know all the plays he likes to run. I know all his tendencies, and we were going back and forth playing.”
Although the punches were fun, St. Brown and Johnson will have to put their twice-a-year friendship aside 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 Nov. 17, 2024. (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
With the conference championship games being played this weekend to determine who will play in the Super Bowl, the Lions were expected to be back where they were in January 2024, when they suffered a second-half collapse against the 49ers. San 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 days later.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ben Johnson are already starting their new rivalry. (Image)
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Johnson has the Bears' No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Caleb Williams, to mold around along with some solid offensive weapons like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. St. Brown has also shown respect for Williams in the past, especially given his connection to USC, but the Lions defeated the Bears twice this season.
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