Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn appears to be finalist for Saints job

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is scheduled to interview with the Saints, and it seems he’s a top candidate.

When Sean Payton stepped down last week, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was easily tabbed as a candidate to become the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints. As the Saints start the interview process, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has unveiled the itinerary for the week.

Dennis Allen is considered the favorite to replace Payton, and he’s last on the list of planned interviews for New Orleans this week. All signs pointed to Glenn getting an interview, so that’s no surprise. Any head coaching search that’s ongoing right now is not complete without talking to Flores, the former Dolphins head coach who was surprisingly fired, so the Saints are not going to leave that stone unturned.

At this stage, as head coaching hires are made around the league, the Saints’ search is naturally sure to be narrow. Three candidates scheduled for interviews certainly fits that bill, and Rapoport’s report suggests there will be no more than four interviews.

Rapoport added Doug Pederson has already interviewed with the Saints, with implication the former Eagles head coach is the proverbial fourth interview.

Aaron Glenn interviewing with Saints as the Lions coaches to go Senior Bowl

The Lions coaching staff will be in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl this week, and in a change of format the head coaches are serving in an advisory role as assistant coaches get bumped to bigger roles. Glenn was not named head coach of the American team the Lions will coach, running backs coach Duce Staley was, and there’s now an answer to a key question.

As noted previously, Glenn was the Saints’ defensive backs coach under Payton for five seasons before following Dan Campbell to Detroit to become defensive coordinator. So he’s probably more than a token candidate to replace Payton, and right off the bat he appears to be a finalist.

The Lions losing Glenn still seems sure to wait at least one more year. But the plot thickened when Payton stepped away, and nothing that happens should totally surprise.