Whether it’s the Jets or another franchise, Aaron Glenn will be coaching his own team in 2025.
But if Saturday’s game was his final one as Lions defensive coordinator, Glenn’s unit didn’t display their best on film.
The Commanders shocked the Lions 45-31 in the NFC Divisional Round. Now beginning on Monday, Glenn can now conduct in-person coaching interviews with teams interested in meeting him in person.
“Aaron Glenn is — he’s as good a coach as you’re going to find, he’s an even better human being,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said about Glenn earlier this month. “Look, if nobody wants him, I’ll take him again. I can tell you that right now.”
Just two plays into the game against the Commanders, cornerback Amik Robertson broke his arm and was lost for the rest of the game. That allowed Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to carve up a Lions defense to the tune of 299 passing yards and two touchdowns. Washington also rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite the disappointing loss, Glenn should still be a top coaching candidate. After interviewing with the Jets on Jan. 9, Glenn is one of the favorites to land the role. However, many Jets fans have been vocal about not wanting owner Woody Johnson to hire Glenn after Saturday’s loss.
One lousy performance shouldn’t deter Johnson from hiring Glenn. He checks a lot of the boxes the Jets are looking for as a coach.
Glenn is a culture builder who, along with Campbell, has turned around a Lions organization that previously struggled, much like the Jets have the last 14 seasons they’ve missed the playoffs.
Just entering the game, the Lions had 16 players on injured reserve, with 12 on the defensive end. Detroit has lost key players such as pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson (broken leg) and defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee, torn ACL) all out due to injury. Also, cornerback Carlton Davis (fractured jaw) and linebacker Derrick Barnes (knee, torn PCL and MCL) also suffered season-ending injuries.
Glenn, 52, did well as a defensive coordinator despite having a unit decimated by injuries. Despite all their injuries, the Lions finished the season 20th in total yards (342.4) and seventh in points allowed (20.1). That improved from the 2023 season when Detroit allowed 23.2 points per game.
Detroit held 11 teams to 20 points or fewer this season, including playoff teams the Rams, Buccaneers, Packers, and the Vikings. The Lions also forced 24 turnovers, and their 16 interceptions were the fifth most in the NFL.
Not to mention, there are always three phases of football. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw three interceptions and lost a fumble against the Commanders. He finished 23-of-40 passing for 313 yards and a touchdown, but it was his fourth game this season with multiple interceptions.
“We just didn’t play great, and I mentioned we didn’t complement each other and that’s the same thing. At the end of the day, I didn’t have them ready,” Campbell said after losing to the Commanders. “It’s hard to look at it.”
Those who want to dismiss Glenn’s work building the Lions’ defense because of one game should consider what Dan Quinn has done in his first season with the Commanders.
Quinn, the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last year, was in a similar situation as Glenn. In the wild-card round in 2023, Green Bay destroyed Quinn’s defense 48-32 after allowing 415 total yards. Dallas was the NFC’s No. 2 seed and was bounced by the seventh-seeded Packers.
Despite that, the Commanders still hired Quinn to help turn around a franchise that hadn’t won a playoff game since 2005, and he did exactly that. Much like Glenn, Quinn is labeled a culture builder. Now, after a 12-5 record and two playoff wins, Washington is one victory away from its first Super Bowl since 1991.
“I think you learn a number of things from each year that you go through them, and you try to improve on those each year,” Glenn said. “But the one thing that I get out of all these interviews is, ‘Man, I’m gonna be myself, and either you like it or you don’t.’
“If you don’t, all good. I keep telling you that I have a great job here. If you like it, and it’s an opportunity that I think is best for me and my family, then I’ll take a look at it.
Yes, Glenn has several questions to address, especially since he has no previous head coaching experience. Among those are, what would his coaching staff look like? Who would be Glenn’s offensive coordinator?
But those concerns would have been present whether Glenn’s Lions had defeated the Commanders or not. Fans are often emotional, and we live in a “what have you done for me lately” world. But one bad game shouldn’t sink Glenn’s chances of becoming a coach.
The Jets, Saints, Bears, Raiders, and Cowboys are all looking for new coaches this offseason. They could do much worse than Glenn, who, along with Campbell, has helped turn around a Lions franchise that hadn’t won a playoff game before 2023 since 1991, when George H. W. Bush was President of the United States.
