Lions OC bashed for 'outrageous' move

"The rub is that Johnson, who pulled himself out of 2022 opportunities despite his burgeoning hot coach status, and his agent shared their exit plans by texting team officials while the Commanders’ group was on a flight from the Washington, D.C., area to meet in Michigan," according to a report by Ben Standig and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

The report added that one "high-ranking executive" from another team conveyed his feelings about Johnson's move through a text.

"I like Ben. A year ago, he knew he wasn't ready," the message read, per the report. “I get a feeling he still thinks he needs time. Who knows? But to break (the decision) while they were in the air is a poor choice.”

Soon after the Commanders lost their chance at Johnson, they also struck out on former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who was hired as the Seattle Seahawks new head coach.

Washington hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to be their new leader on Saturday.

Per Russini and Standig's report, once Johnson was "out of the running," the team believed they were going to land Macdonald before Seattle "swooped in with more money."

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and former Tennessee Titans leader Mike Vrabel were also mentioned in the report.

According to Russini and Standig, the 71-year-old future Hall of Famer wasn't formally interviewed for the post in the nation's capital but there were "some conversations." Vrabel, meanwhile, "was never in serious consideration."

Despite the criticism directed toward Johnson, one source had a different message for the insiders.

"(Johnson) got out of that San Francisco loss, having been walloped emotionally. Think about what he went through,” an NFC front-office executive said. “To consider where he wanted to (work and live) at that exact moment…if he was self-aware to make the right decision for him, I commend him.”