Lions' St. Brown ready to face Ben Johnson: 'I know all his tendencies'
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown can't wait to go up against his now-former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
"He's obviously excited for the opportunity," the wideout said of Johnson on the latest episode of his "St. Brown Podcast." (He's) got our boy Caleb (Williams) over there, who is talented. They've got some good players over there. ... I told him, 'For two times a year, Ben, we're going to f--k you up.' He goes, 'I'm going to f--k you up.' I said, 'OK, we'll see.'"
St. Brown continued: "I told him I know all the plays he likes to run, I know all his tendencies. We were just going back and forth, messing around. It's funny, he was like, 'If I want to be the best, I've got to beat the best, right?'"
Johnson was the most coveted head coaching candidate in the 2025 cycle after helping the Lions build an offensive juggernaut. The 38-year-old spent the last six seasons in Detroit, serving as the team's OC from 2022-24. He took the Chicago Bears job Tuesday after the Lions suffered a divisional-round loss to the Washington Commanders.
"Obviously, I would want to have him in Detroit forever, but that's not the reality of things," St. Brown said.
He added: "We lost early, unfortunately, but I feel like this was the year for him to leave, and he took it, so I don't blame him. Everyone on (X), the Lions fans f-----g hate him. Talking about, 'He didn't prepare for this. He was taking interviews in the bye week.' Trust me, I know Ben. He was as locked in as can be for (the Commanders) game. I'm happy for him."
Johnson landing in Chicago surprised many around the NFL, as he'll face Detroit at least twice each season by staying in the NFC North. But he cited the division's competitiveness as one of the reasons he went to the Windy City. Three NFC North teams made the playoffs in 2024, with the 5-12 Bears missing it for the fourth straight campaign.
The development of Williams - the 2024 No. 1 pick - will be one of Johnson's main challenges on the Bears as the promising quarterback lacked consistency as a rookie.
Detroit swept its season series against Chicago in 2024 and has won five of its last six meetings.