As widely expected, the New Orleans Saints have requested permission from the Detroit Lions to interview Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coaching vacancy.
Glenn came to Detroit along with head coach Dan Campbell after working for several seasons on Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans. Glenn was the Saints’ secondary coach from 2015-2020. His NFL playing career ended with the Saints in 2008 with Payton as the coach.
Payton stepped away from the Saints earlier this week. Glenn remains popular with Saints players and was an easy projection as a potential successor. He is not the only candidate, and not the leading candidate either:
My take–the way Sean Payton talked about Dennis Allen in his farewell makes it difficult for the Saints to hire anyone else, especially someone who was under Allen in NO. Would be giant slap in the face to Payton IMO https://t.co/RbYKLW8H1H
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) January 27, 2022
If Allen passes on the position or if Glenn wows the familiar ownership, then he could be a legitimate threat to leave Detroit after just one season. Glenn did not make the finalist cut among 10 candidates who initially interviewed for the Denver Broncos vacancy, which went to Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Regardless, expect to see a lot of speculation in the coming months about Glenn. He’s considered one of the rising stars among aspiring head coaches.
