Should Johnson Return to Apple? You Tell Us...

You’ve heard the news by now. Ron Johnson is out at J.C. Penney JCP. The market, along with the financial media, is responding as if it’s a big surprise; but is it really?

Perhaps the legacy he’ll leave is some product line called Joe Fresh, a Martha Stewart lawsuit and a proven ability to blow threw a lot of cash in a small amount of time.

If you missed Benzinga’s in-depth coverage of the story, check out these links:

• Ron Johnson Out as J.C. Penney Chief, Former CEO Named Successor
• Is Mike Ullman the Jay Leno of the Corporate World?
• J.C. Penney 'Does Not Deserve to be a Public Company'
• Where Does J.C. Penney Go From Here? Six Options for the Company

Now that the news is out there, people are asking what’s next for the former head of J.C. Penney. One of the most notable is for Johnson to go back to his roots. Johnson’s old position as head of retail at Apple AAPL is still open. This has some speculating that Johnson may soon get a phone call from Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Although the reuniting of Johnson and Apple may sound like a Hollywood feel-good story, the chances of it happening aren’t high. First, going from CEO to just another high-level executive isn’t exactly career advancement, even when the company is Apple.

Johnson is more likely to do what other CEOs do when they lose their job. “I’m going to take some time off to spend with my family.” That “family time” would likely be spent looking for a new company to run. Sure, Johnson didn’t hit a home run with J.C. Penney, but even his critics give him credit for going big even if it did ultimately mean going home.

There’s no doubt he’ll be marketable and that’s why others believe that Apple may be his ultimate home. The company has a history of bringing back old employees with Steve Jobs as the most notable example.

Could Johnson take on another role or fill a spot on the board?

Enough of what we think. What do you think? Click the link below to take our survey. Will Johnson return as Apple’s retail chief? Let us know and we’ll share some of your responses.

Should Ron Johnson Return to Apple? Click here to give us your insight.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker was long Apple.