Monday was the first day teams could begin in-person interviews with assistants eliminated in the wild-card and divisional rounds.
Gang Green is not wasting time scheduling an interview with one of its top coaching candidates.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will have a second interview with the Jets for their coaching vacancy on Tuesday, sources confirm. NFL Media was the first to report that Glenn would meet with the Jets.
Glenn will also have a second interview with the Saints on Wednesday, Sports Illustrated reported. The Jets and Saints are considered the favorites to land Glenn after he played and worked for both organizations.
The Jets interviewed Glenn virtually on Jan. 9 while the Lions were on a bye after finishing 15-2 and with the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Washington defeated Detroit in the divisional round on Saturday night to advance to the NFC Championship.
After an extensive coaching and general manager search, the Jets are winding down their process. They are looking for both after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas amidst a 5-12 season.
Gang Green has interviewed 16 candidates for the Jets coaching position. Ron Rivera, Mike Vrabel, Rex Ryan, Matt Nagy, Aaron Glenn, Mike Locksley, Steve Spagnuolo, Darren Rizzi, Jeff Ulbrich, Vance Joseph, Arthur Smith, Bobby Slowik, Brian Flores, Jeff Hafley, Josh McCown, and Joe Whitt Jr. have all been interviewed to this point.
Vrabel was hired as the Patriots’ coach on Jan. 12. On Saturday, the Falcons named Ulbrich their new defensive coordinator.
Thomas Dimitroff, Jon Robinson, Jim Nagy, Louis Riddick, Alec Halaby, Mike Borgonzi, Ray Farmer, Mike Greenberg, Darren Mougey, Lance Newmark, Trey Brown, Chris Spielman, Ryan Grigson, Jon-Eric Sullivan, and Brian Gaine are the 15 people who have been interviewed for the Jets GM job.
The Jets have yet to formalize second interviews with general manager candidates, which is expected to happen this week. Usually, teams have a general manager in place before hiring a new coach.
Glenn began his career with the team three decades ago and has been the popular coaching choice among Jets fans.
Gang Green selected Glenn 12th overall in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. The former cornerback spent eight seasons with the Jets and was a two-time Pro Bowler under former coach Bill Parcells before Glenn was acquired by the Texans in the expansion draft in 2002.
Glenn, 52, also played for the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Saints before retiring in 2010. After retiring, he became a scout in the Jets organization in 2012, a unique background for most coaches.
That scouting experience has helped Glenn have a hand in both the offensive and defensive side of game planning.
“I’m a coach, I just happen to be on defense,” Glenn said during his weekly press conference last week. “I understand the offense just as well as a number of people.
“So if you want to hire me, you’re gonna hire a coach, you’re not gonna hire a defensive coach. I’m gonna talk to the offense just as much as I’m gonna talk to the defense.”
After two seasons as a scout, Glenn was hired as the Browns’ assistant defensive backs coach (2014-15) before Sean Payton hired him in 2016 as the Saints’ defensive backs coach. He spent five seasons in New Orleans before Dan Campbell brought him to Detroit to become the Lions’ defensive coordinator in 2021.
The team’s defense has steadily improved since Glenn became the Lions’ defensive coordinator. During his first season in Detroit, Glenn’s unit finished 29th in yards (379.8) and 31st in points allowed (27.5). In 2024, despite having 12 defensive players on injured reserve, the Lions were 20th in yards (342.4) and seventh in points allowed (20.1).
The Lions defense also allowed the second-lowest completion percentage (61.1) and the league’s lowest passer rating (82.0) this season.
Glenn has been labeled a culture builder — a coach who gets players to buy into and positively influence the organization. After not making the playoffs for 14 seasons, the Jets could use a culture builder like Glenn.
In addition to possibly losing Glenn, the Lions are expected to lose offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. During the Lions’ playoff bye, Johnson interviewed virtually with the Bears, Raiders, Patriots, and Jaguars.
“I would expect to lose both, but I haven’t been told anything,” Campbell said on Monday. “I just, I’ve got a feeling, but I am prepared to lose both.”
