Report: Aaron Glenn 'Very Interested' in Jets Head Coach Vacancy

Could Lions' DC become head coach of former team in 2025?

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. / Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions' success under head coach Dan Campbell has made them one of the most popular success stories in sports.

In Campbell's four-year tenure, the Lions have gone from one of the NFL's worst teams to one of its best. As a result, teams across the league will be looking to replicate their quick turnaround.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are expected to be two of the most popular targets for teams with vacancies at head coach this upcoming offseason. Both have been vital under Campbell to the team's success.

Both returned to Detroit last offseason after taking several interviews. The Lions may not be so lucky this upcoming offseason, as both will be highly coveted. Glenn, in particular, has ties to a pair of current vacancies that could make an eventual destination desirable.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported that Glenn is interested in the New York Jets' vacancy. The Jets fired Robert Saleh earlier in the season and have been operating with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich in the meantime.

Glenn played the first eight of his 15 seasons in the NFL with the Jets, making a pair of Pro Bowls in that span. With his ties to the organization, the fit is natural on paper. According to Cimini, the coordinator is intrigued by the position.

“Aaron Glenn, the Lions’ defensive coordinator, is very interested in the Jets position. Now, I have not talked to Aaron in quite some time, but I can tell you that he really, is really interested in the Jets’ position. I think he’d love to talk to them about it," Cimini said on his 'Flight Deck' podcast. "He interviewed with the Jets in 2021. I think at that particular time he was just getting on the head coaching radar, but obviously his stock with the Lions’ success is at an all-time high."

Another potential landing spot for the Lions' defensive coordinator is the New Orleans Saints, who fired Dennis Allen. Glenn worked under Allen as the defensive backs coach when Allen was the coordinator, spending five years on the staff with the Saints.

Additionally, he played the final year of his career with the Saints in 2008.

Cimini noted that a concern for the Jets would be who Glenn would choose as his offensive coordinator. Given that the Jets' previous hire, Saleh, was also a defensive-minded coach, nailing the offensive coordinator hire will be important as the team looks to change its fortunes.

"Now I think the Saints are gonna be interested in Aaron Glenn. He was a former coach there, he ended his playing career there. So there’s a connection there," Cimini explained. "He is a good leader. He knows how to change a culture, there’s no better example in sports right now than the Detroit Lions. My question to Aaron Glenn in the interview would be, ‘Who’s gonna be your offensive coordinator?’ We know, Jets fans know, how important that is, getting the offense figured out. So again, my reporting says Aaron Glenn would be very, very interested in the Jets position.” 

Cimini added an interesting note later in the show. The Jets also fired general manager Joe Douglas, and will need to form a new pairing of coach and GM. Among his list of potential GM candidates, Cimini suggested pairing the hiring of Glenn with Lions' Senior Personnel Executive John Dorsey.

Before coming to Detroit, Dorsey held GM roles with Cleveland and Kansas City. He was the presiding GM when the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes, who has led that organization to three Super Bowl titles.

"Interesting guy, just really well-traveled," Cimini explained. "If the Jets are looking at Aaron Glenn, a Dorsey-Glenn pairing would be kind of attractive because of their familiarity with each other."