January 11, 2024
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson will be interviewing for the vacant Carolina Panthers head coaching job, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN. Asked to confirm ESPN's reporting on Wednesday, Johnson wanted no part of that discussion.
"I have no comment," Johnson told reporters. "All of my focus is about this week, and we've got a great opportunity with a special group of people to go out there and put on a great performance against Tampa Bay, and that's where all of our focus and energy is at the moment."
Anytime the Eagles' offense has struggled in 2023, the fan base has (mostly) blamed Johnson, an easy target because he took over play calling duties this season and the offense hasn't been as good as it was during a dominant offensive season in 2022 that led to a Super Bowl appearance. Whether or not the criticism is fair, the Eagles' offensive DVOA ranking fell from 3rd in 2022 to 10th in 2023, despite fielding mostly the same cast of players.
Johnson will be able to interview next Wednesday, at the earliest. If you're interested in interview rule minutiae, the league released the process for interviews below:
Here’s what’s happening with the interview process for open Head Coach positions pic.twitter.com/65141aqzUJ
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) January 9, 2024
If you'll recall, former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and the Cardinals broke some of those rules last year.
The Eagles did not want to lose Gannon last season, but they might not mind losing Johnson. Why? Well, they are in line to collect a pair of third-round picks should Johnson become a head coach elsewhere.
In November of 2020, the NFL approved a proposal that rewards teams for developing minority coaches and front office executives who go on to become head coaches and general managers for other organizations. If a team loses a minority coach or executive to a head coach or general manager position with another team, they will receive a pair of third-round picks in return. They are called "Resolution JC-2A" picks, but function in a similar way to compensatory picks. Johnson is African-American, and would thus qualify as a minority candidate.
It's probably also worth noting here that teams have been accused in the past of interviewing minority candidates just to satisfy their "Rooney Rule" obligation. Every team with a head coaching vacancy is required to interview at least one diverse candidate before making a new hire.
The Panthers also requested to interview Alec Halaby for their vacant general manager position. Halaby currently serves as the Eagles' Vice President of Football Operations and Strategy and is best known for his work in the team's analytics department. Halaby also reportedly interviewed with the Commanders for their GM job on Wednesday.
UPDATE: The Titans have now also reportedly requested to interview Johnson, per Jordan Schultz
#Titans are requesting #Eagles OC Brian Johnson to interview for their vacant HC position, source tells @BleacherReport.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 11, 2024
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