As other teams try to tap into what the Detroit Lions are doing, there have been some obvious and not-so obvious ways it's being done via interviews. Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have both done multiple head coaching interviews, of course.
This past week, offensive line coach Hank Fraley interviewed for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator post and defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend interviewed for the defensive coordinator job with the San Francisco 49ers.
There is a lingering mystery out there though. Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew seems like a slam-dunk candidate for any general manager opening, yet he has received zero interviews thus far. Lions special assistant Chris Spielman has an interview lined up for the Jets' general manager job, but it has been crickets in regard to Agnew.
The Jets in particular seem to be interviewing any and everyone for their general manager job this side of Agnew, and the Tennessee Titans have an opening they've been doing some interviews for.
The Las Vegas Raiders just created another general manager opening on Thursday when they fired Tom Telesco.
The lack of interviews for Agnew seems to be a function of there being few general manager openings. The Chicago Bears stuck with Ryan Poles, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have inexplicably stuck with Trent Baalke (at least for now).
Why hasn't Ray Agnew received any general manager interviews?
Agnew could simply be waiting for the right opportunity to become a general manager, as he should, and it's simply not out there yet. The situation with the Lions is not an easy one to leave, as Johnson has shown in the last few head coach hiring cycles.
It is out there that Johnson, should he leave for a head coaching job, wants organizational alignment above practically anything else. That may mean being able to choose his general manager, so there is automatic alignment in philosophy. In a broad sense, teams looking to hire Johnson as their head should do whatever it takes to accommodate what he's looking for. One has done so, and another may be willing to do so.
So why hasn't Agnew gotten any interviews for general manager jobs to this point? The answer seems simple, at least theoretically.
Agnew could be following Johnson to wherever he goes as the head coach, and it possibly has been put out there the two want to be a tandem. If Johnson stays again, Agnew would then stay too and the same idea would be in play a year from now, when Johnson is again in-demand for head coaching jobs.