Talk has swirled lately that once Sunday’s Super Bowl is over, former Utah Utes quarterback Brian Johnson — now the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, one of Sunday’s game participants — would be a prime candidate to become an offensive coordinator in the NFL somewhere.
One of those places is with the Eagles themselves, as their current OC, Shane Steichen, has been interviewing for head coaching jobs.
On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Steichen is being “targeted” by the Indianapolis Colts to become their next head coach, and that should such occur, Johnson “would be expected” to replace Steichen.
Schefter reported that Steichen’s hire by Indianapolis is still contingent upon the two sides being able to agree to a contract after the Super Bowl is over, but that the Colts have told other candidates that they are no longer being considered for the job.
Schefter further reported that Johnson is one of the NFL’s “most sought-after assistant coaches” and that he has received “multiple requests” to interview for OC positions around the league, but that he will stay in Philadelphia, assuming Steichen leaves.
Under the tutelage of Steichen and Johnson, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts finished second in NFL MVP voting behind his counterpart Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Johnson, 35, was a standout quarterback at Utah from 2004-2008 and then got into coaching as the Utes’ quarterbacks coach in 2010.
He was promoted to OC in 2012 and has since had coaching stints at Mississippi State, Houston and Florida before he jumped to the NFL in 2021 when he joined the Eagles.
The news of Johnson’s likely promotion in Philadelphia and interest around the NFL comes as Utah could be searching for a new OC soon, as current OC Andy Ludwig is reportedly the frontrunner for the same position at Notre Dame.