Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had requests to interview with all six teams who had head coaching openings, and the one he turned down made a lot of sense in multiple ways with about 48 hours to do those initial virtual interviews. That team, the New England Patriots, has also already hired their next head coach (Mike Vrabel).
Among the five teams Glenn interviewed with, two have stood above the pack basically since each one fired their head coach during the season. He has strong ties to both organizations, as a player and/or as an assistant coach, so that familiarity and his own strong candidacy fuels the fit with each team.
On Sunday, CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones had an update on Glenn after his round of initial head coaching interviews was done.
"Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. He took five interviews this past week. I'm told he crushed 'em. Sources tell me that for Glenn, it could come down to the Jets and the Saints. He played for the Jets, he coached in New Orleans. I expect both of the teams to fly to Detroit to visit with him next week."
Latest news simply confirms who Aaron Glenn's top suitors are
Glenn has been a top candidate for the Jets' and Saints' head coaching jobs from the start, albeit with some recent tilt toward him being the favorite for the gig in New Orleans. So Jones' report is not surprising, but if further confirms the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears seem far less likely to hire Glenn.
That being said, just because the Saints and Jets want him the most doesn't mean Glenn will take either of those jobs if they're offered. There are legit and impossible to ignore issues with both situations. An easy case can be made that all of the other aforementioned openings are more appealing.
Glenn seems very likely to get a head coaching job in this hiring cycle. It may indeed be the Saints or the Jets, but the Jaguars, Bears and Raiders should not just curl up and concede to that apparent inevitability if they also like him.
