NFC North

Jayden Daniels trolled Detroit Lions defensive back Terrion Arnold with a jersey swap after the Washington Commanders' Divisional round upset of the top seed in the NFC.

Daniels wrote "Cancun on 3! 1, 2, 3," on the bottom of the jersey he swapped with Arnold, according to the YouTuber Deestroying.

Deestroying, also known as former UCF football player Donald De La Haye, shared the story on his Kickin' it with Dee podcast.

@Deestroying revealed what #Commanders QB Jayden Daniels wrote on #Lions DB Terrion Arnold’s jersey after post game jersey swap

“Cancun on 3! 1, 2, 3,” 😳

( @JayDanielsMVP / @HogsHaven ) pic.twitter.com/8oBvxJmXbc

— Kickin It With Dee (@KickinItWithDee) January 24, 2025

Daniels was apparently referencing the catchphrase reportedly coined by former Los Angeles Laker Nick Van Exel and now popular enough to have left the NBA.

Both Daniels and Arnold were first-round 2024 draft picks who went on to have successful rookie NFL seasons.

Arnold capped off his first season by recording five solo tackles against the Commanders in their Divisional round matchup.

But the usually dominant Lions' defense was unable to overcome turnover issues or to contain Daniels, who put up one of the best performances by a rookie quarterback in playoff history with 299 passing yards on 22-of-31 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

No rookie quarterback has ever started in a Super Bowl. Daniels will look to change that— and hopefully delay his own trip to Mexico— as the Commanders prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

After putting up MVP-caliber numbers in three seasons with Ben Johnson, Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions are facing a new challenge going into 2025 having to replace their offensive coordinator.

Amid questions about how much of an impact Johnson had on the offense, general manager Brad Holmes told reporters on Thursday he believes Goff is still in his "prime" and has shown marked improvement nine years into his career:

"I think the guy's in his prime. He's gotten better and better every year. And when I say prime, I think, like, just entering it. It's because he keeps ascending. I think, like every single year we've been here, the next year, it's been 'Man, he's playing at a high level.' And the levels keep improving. Again, I just have a lot of faith in [head coach] Dan [Campbell], and I know that he'll make sure that Jared's going to be in a good position."

Johnson, who has been with the Lions for the past three seasons, was hired by the Chicago Bears on Tuesday.

Goff posted three of his four highest single-season QBR totals since the 2022 season. His 68.4 QBR in 2024 was the best of his career and ranked sixth in the NFL.

The main concerns for Goff is that he hasn't been particularly good when he isn't working with someone regarded as one of the best offensive coaches in the league. Johnson has been arguably the most-revered offensive coordinator in the NFL during his time in Detroit.

Before coming to the Lions, Goff had Sean McVay as his head coach with the Los Angeles Rams for four seasons. The two years without either McVay or Johnson have been the worst of Goff's career.

As a rookie in 2016 with Jeff Fisher as head coach of the Rams, Goff threw for 1,089 yards with five touchdowns, seven interceptions and lost all seven of his starts.

During the 2021 season with Anthony Lynn as Lions offensive coordinator, Goff finished with 3,245 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions and went 3-10-1 in 14 starts.

There is additional context for both of those seasons that don't make Goff look as bad. The Rams' leading receivers in 2016 were Kenny Britt and Brian Quick. The 2021 season was the first year of Detroit's rebuild with Holmes and Dan Campbell running things.

The Lions haven't given any indications about who will take Johnson's spot as offensive coordinator, but Campbell said he will seek "a lot" of input from Goff.

Goff finished this season with 4,629 yards, 37 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 72.4 completion percentage.

As Ben Johnson begins assembling his coaching staff with the Chicago Bears, Thomas Brown won't be retained after serving in three different roles for the organization this season.

Per The Athletic's Adam Jahns, Brown is among five coaches from the 2024 Bears staff who won't be with the team under Johnson.

Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz reported Brown is a candidate to join Aaron Glenn's staff with the New York Jets.

Brown started last season as the passing game coordinator for head coach Matt Eberflus. He was promoted to offensive coordinator on Nov. 12 after Shane Waldron was fired due to that unit's struggles.

After losing six straight games that included a disastrous end-of-game time-management sequence against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Brown was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The Bears offense occasionally showed signs of life with Brown as interim head coach. Caleb Williams threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-17 loss to the Lions on Dec. 22.

It's not a surprise that Johnson would decide to move on from most of the coaches who were with the Bears in 2024. This is his first time as a head coach and he will want to assemble a staff of people he trusts.

Brown didn't seem like he would have much trouble finding another job, even before the rumors about Glenn being interested in him for the Jets. The 38-year-old has worked in the NFL since 2020 when he was hired as running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams.

Before coming to the NFL, Brown spent nine seasons coaching in college from 2011 to '19. His highest-profile job was as offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Miami from 2016 to '18.

The Bears are getting a fresh start with Johnson, who comes from an offensive background, looking to make his mark by developing Williams into the player everyone in Chicago hopes he can become after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.

Ben Johnson got a head start on being part of the historic rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

During his introductory press conference as Bears head coach on Wednesday, Johnson poked fun at Packers head coach Matt LaFleur by saying he "kind of enjoyed beating" him "twice a year" while he was offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

Bears-Packers: let the games begin. pic.twitter.com/fxJjB9e9xV

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2025

On Thursday's episode of Good Morning Football, Peter Schrager said Johnson and LaFleur have "no relationship" at all to suggest that he was just needling a friend when he made the comment.

Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur are not pals. They don't have a shared history together or any coaching connections or shared mentors. Calling another coach out by name-- one you're not buddies with-- in the introductory press conference? It's on.

pic.twitter.com/xMYlDRZVQw

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 23, 2025

It's probably more common for two coaches who are friends to poke fun at each other. Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay have a well-documented friendship that dates back to 2010 when they worked together on the same staff in Washington, so no one would raise an eye if either made this type of comment.

There's no reason for anyone to think Johnson was dissing LaFleur or the Packers. He said earlier in the press conference that the NFC North is the best division in the NFL and he has "tremendous respect for the coaches and players" throughout the league.

Johnson was simply stating a fact when he made the comment. The Lions won five of the last six games against the Packers over the past three seasons, including sweeping their two matchups in 2022 and 2024.

If anything, Johnson was sending a message to Bears fans that he knows how to be on the winning side of a rivalry with the Packers. Chicago isn't accustomed to that with a 5-26 record against Green Bay since the start of the 2010 season.

The NFL is a league that's always following a trend, so it's not a surprise the Detroit Lions' success under Dan Campbell has every team trying to find that.

Appearing on Thursday's episode of SportsCenter, ESPN's Adam Schefter explained how "everybody" in the NFL "is looking to mimic" what Campbell has done in the context of the New York Jets hiring Aaron Glenn as their new head coach:

"The New York Jets are quite happy this morning to get a guy that they know very well, a former first-round draft pick of the organization, started his career in scouting for the New York Jets. Always has had his eye on that organization, and they have had their eye on him. After interviewing any number of candidates, the Jets determined that Aaron Glenn was the one that they wanted to hire. The people around him in Detroit say that he is a carbon copy of Dan Campbell, and everybody around the league is looking to mimic the type of success that Dan Campbell has had in Detroit. So, the Jets bring in Aaron Glenn on a five-year deal that contractually ties him to the organization through 2029. We talked about leader of men, Aaron Glenn is a leader of men and he's now the New York Jets' leader of men moving forward."

Glenn spent the past four seasons on Campbell's staff as defensive coordinator in Detroit. The defense ranked in the bottom half of the league in points allowed per game in his first three seasons before jumping up to seventh this season.

It's easy for every team to say they want a Campbell-type coach. He has passion and energy for the job, while showing the ability to lead a full-scale rebuild without panicking. The Lions were 4-19-1 through his first 24 games, which would have had most coaches on the hot seat.

Detroit has since won 35 of its last 44 regular-season games since Week 9 of the 2022 season.

In a results-based industry, every organization is also looking to find what's working. This is especially true if you're a team that doesn't have an elite quarterback. It's easy to want what the Kansas City Chiefs have, but that requires a quarterback of Patrick Mahomes' caliber.

Instead, what teams do is look at clubs winning despite not having a top-tier quarterback. It's been a running joke for years that any coach who ever stood in the same room with Sean McVay was at least going to get interviewed for a coaching vacancy.

So far this offseason, the Lions are the team that everyone is poaching coaches from. Glenn was hired by the Jets. Ben Johnson is taking over as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Defensive line coach Terrell Williams has been hired as defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

Glenn probably be won't be exactly like Campbell because he has to establish his own identity, but his experience working with him should only help as he is set to become a head coach for the first time.

The Jets certainly hope Glenn can have a Campbell-like impact on their team because they desperately need stability after a chaotic 2024. They finished with a 5-12 record and missed the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year.

The Chicago Bears officially introduced Ben Johnson as their new head coach during a press conference on Wednesday, and the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator had a lot of positive things to say about his new job.

Johnson hyped 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams as "a phenomenal talent" and added that there is "no doubt" that the first-year quarterback "played a large component into my decision."

Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams: pic.twitter.com/SgoWs5JFyZ

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 22, 2025

Johnson also praised Bears general manager Ryan Poles for putting together a roster that is "absolutely loaded with talent already."

"This roster is absolutely loaded with talent." pic.twitter.com/VRWTIPNdYi

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 22, 2025

Williams also met with reporters on Wednesday and revealed his excitement over Johnson's hiring as well as some details on their initial conversation:

Just asked Caleb what he believes Ben will allow him to do better this season as he calibrates the offense around him:

“Score. Score. Score. And Score”

And they share a same goal:

“You want the other team to feel like you’re gonna go out there and embarrass them” https://t.co/F3OH7mYG3q

— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 22, 2025

Johnson told reporters that he had long been impressed with the Bears and was eyeing them as a major obstacle for the Lions entering the 2024 campaign.

"Going into this season I felt like this place was a sleeping giant," he said. "I was personally more concerned about the Bears than I was any other team in the division."

Johnson said his message to his new players in Chicago is to "get comfortable being uncomfortable," because he plans on pushing them to reach their full potential.

"We are gonna push, and we're gonna challenge, and along with those high standards, there's also gonna be a high level of support as well," he added.

Ben Johnson's message to the players: pic.twitter.com/O1FskxN2Ff

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 22, 2025

Johnson established himself as the most coveted head coaching candidate on the market by transforming the Lions offense into an elite unit since taking over as OC in 2022. This season, Detroit ranked first in the NFL with 33.2 points per game and second with 409.5 total yards per game.

The 38-year-old will be taking over a Chicago unit that was at the opposite end of the spectrum, as it ranked last in the league with 284.6 total yards per game and 27th with 18.2 points per game. When asked about building the offense with his new team, Johnson told reporters, "It's not going to look like it did in Detroit" because of the "completely different" personnel in Chicago.

While it won't be easy to go up against the Lions twice a year, Johnson joked that the opportunity to remain in the NFC North was still appealing because he can continue beating up on the Green Bay Packers.

"To quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year," he said.

Kevin O'Connell is sticking around in Minneapolis for the long haul and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah appears likely to stay with him.

After the Minnesota Vikings and O'Connell agreed to a multiyear extension on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported talks are underway on an extension for Adofo-Mensah.

"The plan is to keep the braintrust together," Pelissero wrote.

Other NFL teams reportedly showed interest in trading for O'Connell before the Vikings extended him, according to The Athletic's Mike Sando. Adofo-Mensah would likely also have plenty of interest from other teams if he were to hit the open market.

O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah were both hired by the Vikings ahead of the 2022 season. They have since led the Vikings to a 34-17 regular-season record with three playoff appearances in as many seasons.

After missing out on the 2023 postseason and watching Kirk Cousins depart in free agency, the Vikings drafted projected starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy only to lose him to a season-ending knee injury in August.

The Vikings turned to Sam Darnold, who had most recently served as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers after struggling as QB1 with both the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, ahead of the 2024 season.

O'Connell then led both Darnold and the Vikings to a bounce-back season that saw the team clinch a playoff spot ahead of Week 15.

Darnold has given some credit to O'Connell for his comeback by telling reporters in November that the "detail" in the Vikings' coaching made "the quarterback position a little bit easier" (h/t Mark Craig of the Minnesota Star Tribune.)

After O'Connell received a new contract, Adofo-Mensah's toughest decision now will be whether or not to re-sign Darnold or turn the offense over to McCarthy.

In either case, Minnesota clearly has solid building blocks as it looks to remain one of the top contenders in the NFC.

Despite a disappointing playoff exit, the Minnesota Vikings still enjoyed plenty of success during the 2024 season.

And head coach Kevin O'Connell was rewarded for it.

Minnesota announced Tuesday it agreed to a multi-year contract extension with O'Connell. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the coach was scheduled to enter the final year of his deal in 2025 prior to this development.

This also clears up his immediate future after there was some discussion about him potentially being traded.

For his part, O'Connell released a statement calling it "an absolute honor to continue leading the Minnesota Vikings."

Your head coach, Kevin O'Connell, on agreeing to terms on a contract extension. pic.twitter.com/Y2mC3FzjoN

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 21, 2025

That the two sides came to terms on a deal follows a report from Schefter when he appeared on Friday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show and said he didn't believe the coach would be traded.

"I don't see him getting traded," Schefter said. "I think that the Wilf family is going to want to hold onto him. He's going to be entering the last year of his deal. I think team's that have coaches who they have identified as their future don't typically let guys go into the last year of their deal so I would imagine in some point in the coming days, weeks, whatever it may be, that the Wilf family and Kevin O'Connell sit down and figure out an extension."

"I don't see Kevin O'Connell getting traded and I think the Vikings are gonna hold onto him..

I would imagine that they will figure out an extension" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/FIYUA0J0rm

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 17, 2025

Schefter highlighted the culture O'Connell helped build in Minnesota, which Vikings president Mark Wilf also mentioned in the team's announcement regarding the new deal.

"Kevin is exactly who we believed him to be when we named him as our head coach—an innovative play caller, an excellent communicator and a strong leader who motivates and connects with his players," Wilf said. "He has helped establish a culture that positions us for sustained success, and he will continue to set the standard we need as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans."

The 2024 campaign was O'Connell's third as the head coach of the Vikings after he was previously the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington. The 2021 Rams won the Super Bowl when he was the O.C., which surely caught the eye of Minnesota.

He is 34-17 in three years with the Vikings and just turned in his best season with a 14-3 record.

Yet the ending was disappointing, as Minnesota lost its Week 18 showdown against the Detroit Lions to determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC and then lost to the Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round the following week.

While it overshadowed some of the developments during the regular season, O'Connell's ability to get the most out of Sam Darnold stood out. The quarterback was 21-35 as a starter with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers before joining the NFC North team but thrived while going 14-3 with the Vikings.

He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions even though he was largely only starting because rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury.

It was a testament to O'Connell's ability to coach quarterbacks and offense as a whole, and now he will have the opportunity to continue doing so for multiple years in Minnesota.

After it was revealed that the Chicago Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach, fans were ecstatic about the prospect of Johnson teaming up with quarterback Caleb Williams next season.

The creativity alone offensively will have Caleb playing on an elite level because the supporting cast will be used to their strengths instead of getting cardio in for 4 quarters. ✅ https://t.co/BFuC1MaLIy

— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) January 20, 2025

Everything about this hire screams Caleb Williams…you couldn’t ask for a better guy for the job to teach Caleb.

Concepts, routes, & timing will all be so much better.

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) January 20, 2025

A MASSIVE hire the Bears.

Arguably the best and most innovative play caller in the league teams up with Caleb Williams.

Cannot wait to see what Ben Johnson can do to take his game to the next level. https://t.co/DvH4gKJwkt

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 20, 2025

The Ben Johnson hire is a slam dunk for the Bears.

Get an offensive minded coach who is very innovative and creative to help a young talent in Caleb Williams develop as well as get the most out of the weapons that the Bears have.

— Hutchinson Brown (@hutchinsonb_ff) January 20, 2025

The next decade is going to be sweet with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson pic.twitter.com/JqImQhpP5N

— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) January 20, 2025

This tells me, with everything that comes with the Bears job, Ben Johnson really really likes Caleb Williams.

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 20, 2025

2025 #Bears offense:

HC and playcaller: Ben Johnson

QB: Caleb Williams
RB: D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson
TE: Cole Kmet
WR: D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze

Good start, barring O-line improvements.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 20, 2025

What a hire by the Chicago Bears! Caleb Williams gets a young offensive minded coach that’s an incredible play caller! Bears fans have been begging for an offensive minded coach well here he is Chicago! Give a warm welcome to our new Head Coach Ben Johnson DA BEARS pic.twitter.com/MZn7DTK3r9

— Nick LaVere (@NickLaVere20) January 20, 2025

After the Bears' disastrous 5-12 season, which saw former head coach Matt Eberflus fired midway through the year, the excitement isn't limited to fans. Williams liked the NFL's Instagram post about the new hire, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Caleb Williams has weighed in on his new coach … pic.twitter.com/TWLO8O4sww

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025

Behind Johnson, the Lions have averaged 29.0 points per game since he became the offensive coordinator for Detroit in 2022. Leading the league with 33.2 points per game in 2024 was also the most in a season in franchise history, per CBS Sports' Garrett Podell.

In addition to the team's success, quarterback Jared Goff excelled throughout the season, leading the Lions' offense to rank near the top in several key NFL metrics, including total yards per game (409.5) and passing yards per game (263.2). Running back Jahmyr Gibbs also led the league in scrimmage touchdowns with 20.

The 38-year-old will now take over the talented Williams, alongside stellar players like wide receivers D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, tight end Cole Kmet and former Lions running back D'Andre Swift.

The hire is huge for Chicago, who at one point had fans worried that Johnson was going to become the Las Vegas Raiders' next head coach after an interview with the team went "really well," according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

However, following the Bears' hire, it was revealed that the Raiders were never a front-runner for Johnson, as Chicago was the "early favorite in the process," per Schultz.

With Johnson now at the helm, the Chicago Bears are poised for a promising future after a 37-63 record over the past six seasons, with 2018 being the last time they posted a winning record.

Caleb Williams appears to be a fan of the Chicago Bears reportedly hiring Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Williams liked the NFL's Instagram post about the Bears' reported hiring, as noted by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Caleb Williams has weighed in on his new coach … pic.twitter.com/TWLO8O4sww

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025

Pelissero reported earlier Monday that the Bears are "finalizing a deal" to hire Johnson, and that "contract parameters are in place."

The Bears are seeking a replacement for former head coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired midseason, and Thomas Brown, who finished out the season as interim head coach.

Williams spent his rookie 2024 season on an offense ranked 32nd in the NFL with 284.6 total yards per game.

He may now be hoping Johnson, who led a unit ranked second in the league with 409.5 total yards per contest, can improve those numbers during his second NFL season.

Williams previously said on the St. Brown Podcast that he had been previously tricked into thinking the Bears had hired Johnson.

When asked on the podcast who he wanted as the team's next head coach, Williams told Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon St. Brown, "I think that's a cool thing with what y'all got over there in Detroit."

Williams continued: "Selfishly, I want an offensive-minded guy... so I can also learn and grow and things like that from him and what he's seen and what he's gone through with other QBs or been around."

Johnson meanwhile praised Williams ahead of the Week 16 matchup between the Lions and Bears.

"There is no question this guy is talented," Johnson told reporters on Dec. 20. "I remember standing on the sideline last game, and just, you can hear the ball whistle by you. He's got quite a fastball, and has some creativity to him, can extend plays, and is accurate down the field as well."

Johnson added: "He's been impressive from afar."

The reporting hiring in Chicago marks the first head coaching job of Johnson's NFL career. He previously spent seven seasons on the Miami Dolphins staff, including stints as assistant quarterbacks coach and assistant wide receivers coach, before joining the Lions' staff ahead of the 2019 season.