Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is one of the hottest coaching candidates in this year's cycle.

Although he's received interest for just about every head coaching opening, the Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly gaining "a lot of momentum" on hiring Johnson, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal Wednesday.

Now, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has confirmed the Raiders-Johnson buzz on an episode of The Insiders.

"The people who are associated with the Raiders' job," Rapoport said. "I'm talking other candidates, I'm talking agents, people around the NFL, there does seem to be an acknowledgement that Ben Johnson is the leading candidate and there's a lot of people who think, frankly, he's getting it.

"Now, [the Raiders] are not done. They certainly have not done the requirements that would allow them to hire a coach and he's not even allowed to be officially hired until his season is done, but it does seem like that is the direction that it is heading."

If Johnson does eventually take over in Las Vegas, he would replace Antonio Pierce, who was fired after the regular season ended.

Before that, though, Johnson and the Lions have a potential playoff run ahead of them. After receiving a first-round bye, Detroit opens their postseason Saturday Jan. 18 against the Washington Commanders, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET from Ford Field.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Insider Says Ben Johnson Is 'Leading Candidate' for Raiders' Coaching Vacancy.

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