Aaron Glenn further locked in as top candidate for a certain head coaching job

Despite a unit that has been and continues to be thinned by injuries, Aaron Glenn is helming a Detroit Lions' defense that is 10th in total yards per game allowed and second in points per game allowed entering Week 14.

Glenn has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in the last few hiring cycles, and if anything his interview docket will be even fuller during the upcoming hiring cycle. That also ups the chance he leaves the Lions for a head coaching job, with a couple jobs that are already open particularly easy to tie him to.

It's fair to assume, like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Glenn will be fairly discerning when it comes to taking a head coaching job. History and past relationships could be a differentiator for him, if all other things are equal.

Aaron Glenn further confirmed as top candidate for a particular head coaching job

In the Week 14 edition of the weekly buzz column he does with Dan Graziano, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler offered some insight about a situation to which Glenn has a tie.

"The early belief among league insiders is that Mickey Loomis has a good chance to remain as Saints general manager. That's not 100%, but that's what people in the know on these sorts of things are predicting. The Saints have traditionally valued connectivity/familiarity, which could be a factor in the interview process. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, a Saints defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020, is expected to get a look in New Orleans."

Glenn was the Saints defensive backs coach for five seasons before following Dan Campbell to Detroit and becoming the Lions' defensive coordinator. ESPN's Adam Schefter already pointed to Glenn as a top upcoming candidate in New Orleans, and he interviewed for the job in 2022 before Dennis Allen was promoted to replace Sean Payton.

The Saints would stand to benefit from a bigger reset, and at least not hire a new head coach who has past ties to the organization/worked under Payton. But with Mickey Loomis on track to stay as general manager, familiarity may be the default preference for a new coach. Glenn would theoretically be a top candidate for the job without his past tie, but that tie has been further confirmed as a boost to his candidacy in New Orleans.