Commanders to Interview Lions’ Aaron Glenn Day Before Playoff Game

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is interviewing for the Washington Commanders coaching vacancy a day before an NFC Divisional Round playoff game.

Sunday, the Detroit Lions will play in one of the biggest games in the history of their franchise, an NFC Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Saturday, their defensive coordinator will be interviewing for the Washington Commanders coaching vacancy. 

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As owner Josh Harris, new general manager Adam Peters and the Commanders continue their search for a coach, they'll speak to Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn Saturday about the vacancy, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. The NFLPA recently asked players to anonymously rate their coordinators, on a 1-10 scale. Glenn got the highest score among defensive or offensive coordinators in the NFL, so there's no doubt the 51-year-old is deserving of coaching interviews. 

The thing is, the Lions are playing for a trip to the NFC Championship Game tomorrow. We're not saying Glenn won't be prepared, but he also interviewed for both the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans jobs on Friday. There's no way that the time spent not only in the interviews, but preparing for the interviews doesn't limit his ability to put his best foot forward for his current employer. 

This, of course, isn't a reflection on Glenn in any way -- he's just playing in the system as it's set up now. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who many view as the likely pick for the Commanders job, has three interviews Saturday. A day after a virtual meeting with the Commanders, the 37-year-old offensive coordinator is now slated to speak with the Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks Saturday. Again, this is the day before a playoff game. 

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There isn't a perfect answer here, but perhaps the best solution would be to have the entire NFL coaching cycle not begin until after the Super Bowl. That would be both for coaches employed by teams still in the playoffs, and those who either work for eliminated teams or in college. That might require pushing back other key offseason dates -- like free agency and the NFL Draft -- but so be it. Because if the Lions are upset Sunday by an inferior Buccaneers team, it's going to be fair to wonder if a week of Glenn and Johnson trying to balance coaching interviews with game preparation played a factor.