Compared to Ben Johnson, who has six interview requests for head coaching jobs and four virtual interviews scheduled this week, Aaron Glenn is not quite as fully in-demand. He has four interview requests, and as of his press conference on Thursday morning no interviews formally scheduled this week.
Update, Jan. 19, 10:20 a.m. ET: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Glenn has interviews scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans.
#Lions DC Aaron Glenn, a top head coach candidate for his prowess as coordinator and for his leadership, will interview with the #Titans and #Falcons for their vacant HC job, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2024
Update, 6:15 p.m. ET: According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and the team, Glenn has completed an interview with the Falcons.
Falcons interviewed Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn today for their head coach opening.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2024
Update, Jan. 20, 11:45 a.m. ET: According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Glenn has interviews scheduled with the Washington Commanders and the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
Before their playoff game on Sunday, both #Lions coordinators will be busy:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2024
— OC Ben Johnson has interviews with the #Falcons, #Seahawks, and #Chargers for their HC jobs.
— DC Aaron Glenn has interviews with the #Commanders and #Chargers for their HC jobs.
But the Lions' defensive coordinator is arguably just as strong a head coaching candidate as his colleague on the other side of the ball, if not a stronger head coaching candidate than Johnson. A recent poll of players that ranked him the No. 1 coordinator in the league will (or should) only bolster his appeal to teams looking for a new head coach.
Glenn's eventual departure from the Lions for a head coaching job is just as inevitable Johnson's. And he's not just a token candidate being interviewed to satisfy a league rule that it's easy to lean toward as a crutch for his candidacy. He will be an NFL head coach, and it could happen when this season is over the for the Lions.
There are seven current head coaching openings, with the Las Vegas seemingly likely to make Antonio Pierce their permanent head coach. The Raiders are also the only team to not submit an interview request for Johnson or Glenn, so let's just scratch them from the list of options here.
Going from No. 6 (the worst) down to No. 1 (the best), here's how the current potential head coaching opportunities rank for Glenn.