Former Florida quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has been interviewing for offensive coordinator positions with the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams this offseason, according to numerous reports.
Johnson, 35, is currently the quarterbacks coach for No. 1 seed Philadelphia, but he took advantage of the Eagles’ first-round bye in the playoffs to talk to the Jets about his open position to call the plays. according to to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared Monday that Johnson also recently interviewed for the same job with the Rams.
Johnson spent three seasons in Florida with former head coach Dan Mullen, his quarterback playcaller at Utah in 2004, from 2018 to 2020. Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2020 season, becoming the first African-American in place in the history of the school.
“I didn’t realize that,” Johnson said at the time of his promotion. “If that’s the case, that’s obviously something to be very, very proud of.”
Johnson helped Mullen rejuvenate UF’s quarterback position after nearly a decade of lackluster performance, most notably developing kyle trask Heisman Trophy finalist in 2020. Trask passed for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns that year, leading the Gators to a third straight New Year’s Six Bowl before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the NBA Draft. the nfl 2021.
Johnson proceeded to win interviews for both South Carolina and Boise State’s open head coaching jobs that postseason, and on January 27, 2021, accepted the Eagles’ quarterback coaching position under the then-new head coach. Nick Sirianni.
In Philadelphia, Johnson has rocketed to new heights along with quarterback jalen hurts.
Hurts took over as the Eagles’ full-time starting quarterback with Sirianni and Johnson in 2021 and performed admirably as a former second-round pick, recording 3,144 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions with 784 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. .
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However, he took his game to another level in 2022, passing for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions with 760 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. In his 15 starts, the Eagles compiled a 14-1 record and clinched home field advantage for the postseason.
After defeating the New York Giants, 38-7, in the divisional round, Johnson and the Eagles will host the No. 2 San Francisco 49ers for the NFC Championship on Sunday, January 29 at 3 pm ET. If Johnson accepts a promotion with another team, he is expected to remain with Philadelphia through the end of his playoff run.
While the opportunity has yet to arise this offseason, ESPN reporter Adam Schefter shared in a November interview with 97.5 The Fanatic Philadelphia that he expects Johnson to receive interview opportunities as an NFL head coach sooner rather than later.
“I had the honor of having [the Eagles’] Quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson on my podcast yesterday talking about Jalen Hurts and the team. That guy has such a good vibe. He may be a head coaching candidate this year. What about that? This year. I’m not telling you he’ll get a job, but I think he’ll interview for a head coaching job this year.”
With teams gearing up for the second rounds of head coaching interviews, it seems unlikely that Johnson will find himself in that position for now. However, the potential remains for Johnson to secure play-calling duties elsewhere.
Along with the Jets and Rams, the Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders currently have openings in his offensive coordinator job.
The New England Patriots were the first team to hire an offensive coordinator this offseason, reuniting Tuesday with former playcaller Bill O’Brien, who spent the past two seasons in the same role with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
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