Washington hoped the pairing of Johnson with first-year general manager Adam Peters — and the options available with the No. 2 selection in April’s NFL Draft — would ignite a long-overdue turnaround. One of eight candidates interviewed for the opening, Johnson held front-runner status, at least publicly, throughout the process. Team officials stated they ran an open competition for the position previously occupied by Ron Rivera from 2020 until the day after the Commanders concluded a 4-13 campaign.
Most assumed Johnson would depart for a head-coaching opportunity this offseason, after getting some interview experience last year and even more during the current cycle.