Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown has shared his frustrations with Ben Johnson leaving the Motor City to become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears.
One of the biggest names on this year's NFL coaching carousel, Johnson served as the Lions' offensive coordinator for three seasons. He was one of the leaders who guided Detroit from league mediocrity to one of the best.
The loss of Johnson leaves a huge gap, with St. Brown happy that Johnson has the opportunity to lead a team, but equally frustrated that one of the architects of the Lions' renaissance is now on the field of a division rival.
“Ben is a traitor,” St. Brown said half-jokingly. 'He actually called me a few minutes ago, maybe an hour ago. Then I have to talk to him. We had some banter back and forth, joking around.
“I said, 'Twice a year, Ben, we're going to screw you.' He says, 'I'm going to screw you.'
The Bears and Lions meet twice a year as NFC North rivals. Those matchups have tilted Detroit's path in recent years, as Chicago is not among the NFL's elite.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown opens up about Ben Johnson leaving Detroit
Johnson is the head coach of the Chicago Bears and St. Brown is frustrated by the departure
St. Brown added that his conversation with Johnson also included exchanging blows about how the other was going to take the lead in Bears-Lions matchups in the future.
The 25-year-old wide receiver said he knows all of Johnson's tendencies and can pass them on to whoever becomes Detroit's next offensive coordinator.
Johnson replied that if the Bears want to become the best, they would have to beat the best, citing the NFC North standings.
St. Brown said his last in-person conversation with Johnson occurred Sunday, the day after the team's divisional playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
Johnson conveyed that he didn't know what he was going to do in his future, but revealed that he was talking to three NFL teams about head coaching roles. One of them turned out to be Chicago.
“Obviously, I love Ben, one of my favorite coaches I've ever had,” St. Brown said. “I would say for sure that he's smart, he's one of the hardest working coaches I've ever met. But obviously I wanted to have him in Detroit forever, but that's not the reality.”
Johnson had his introductory press conference with the Bears on Wednesday, mocking a rival from Chicago and Detroit.
“I know this is the toughest division in football,” Johnson said of the NFC North. “I enjoyed beating (Green Bay's) Matt LaFleur twice a year.”