Detroit Lions players, fans react to Ben Johnson returning for another season

On Tuesday night, the massive news that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is returning dropped. Per a report from Tom Pelissero, Johnson removed his name from consideration because he felt the Lions were building something special and he wanted to be a part of that.

The Lions had a top-five offense last year, and Johnson has been largely credited for the unit’s sudden turnaround. Understandably so, the news sent Lions nation into a frenzy. Many were preparing to lose Johnson, seeing as he was considered the Vegas favorite for two separate head coaching jobs as recently as Tuesday afternoon. So to suddenly get the news that Johnson was returning—before even having a chance to interview with the Panthers—was nothing short of fantastic news.

So let’s take a look at the best reactions from Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from One Pride nation.

Let’s start with some players. First off is left tackle Taylor Decker, who has worn his emotions on his sleeve this year. His initial reaction: disbelief.

You’d think reactions would just be limited to offensive players on the team, however, even defensive and special teams players could sense the enormity of the news. Here’s long snapper Scott Daly.

And here’s cornerback Chase Lucas.

But the best reaction of all came from Lions stud receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown has seen his career blossom under Johnson. The young receiver’s rookie season exploded almost simultaneously with Johnson’s promotion to passing game coordinator. And when Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator this offseason, both St. Brown and the Lions offense took off.

During “Hard Knocks” this year, we saw St. Brown declare Johnson a “genius.”

So how did St. Brown react to the news on Tuesday night? Fair to say he was moved and happy:

(Note: Iykyk = If you know, you know.)

Now let’s move to some Lions fans, who were throwing a party last night. Here’s our staff’s reaction:

And some of the other best reactions from the internet:

And if you missed it, you can check out our live reaction from our emergency Twitch show here: