The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to have Aaron Glenn at the top of their list of candidates for their coaching job. Now that the Detroit Lions have been eliminated from the playoffs, the Jags could ramp up their efforts to hire him or colleague Ben Johnson. Having said that, they may have trouble landing Glenn based on how his interview schedule has been arranged.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Glenn will interview with the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets in the upcoming days. Several outlets later confirmed the news. He's a favorite for both jobs, so nobody would be surprised if he becomes the head coach for either team if things go well.
Aaron Glenn is also expected to visit the #Saints, sources say. He’s considered to be a key candidate there, as well. https://t.co/YerWf0HCnt
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2025
If Glenn does land with either the Jets or New Orleans, the Jaguars would be left with Johnson, Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. Granted, they had interviews with other candidates but those three (and Glenn) have generated the biggest buzz.
Johnson and Glenn wouldn't meet with teams as long as the Lions were in the playoffs, but because they got knocked out by the Washington Commanders, both coordinators will be locked in their respective schedules for in-person interviews.
Looking at how quickly things have unfolded after the loss to the Commanders, it looks like Glenn's stock hasn't suffered a dip despite the fact that his unit couldn't stop Jayden Daniels and the Washington offense. This is understandable when you take into account that he was without cornerback Amik Robertson, safety Brian Branch, and defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu.
If anything, Glenn deserves credit for keeping his defense afloat despite the fact that he lost several key plays to injuries throughout the year. Heck, Detroit ranked seventh in points allowed last season despite the fact that star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson broke his tibia and fibula.
The Jaguars may be out of luck in their pursuit of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn
The hiring cycle will take more turns in the upcoming days and the dominoes will begin to fall. That isn't great news for a Jacksonville Jaguars team that's been relatively slow in their coaching search. Granted, there's a chance that they've been working behind the scenes but at least from an outside perspective, it doesn't look like the Jags have been as active as other teams. In fact, Aaron Glenn may not be the only candidate they could miss out on.
NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that Ben Johnson is the favorite to become the next Chicago Bears head coach. Jacksonville had him and Glenn at the top of its wish list, and it will need to ramp up their efforts if they don't want to lose both of them.
Sure, the Jaguars could turn their attention to Liam Coen, who nailed his first interview, if they miss out on Glenn and Johnson, but they need to move quickly if they don't want the well of candidates to dry out before they settle on one they're not fully sold on.