Taking a deeper look at the NFL's six coaching vacancies as Detroit Lions' coordinators draw heavy interest
Allen Park — For the third consecutive offseason, Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are drawing heavy interest for the league's head coaching vacancies.
After the initial wave of interviews each of the past two years, Johnson has withdrawn his name from consideration. His meteoric rise arguably left him unprepared to make the leap in 2023, but his decision to return to the Lions this season was a genuine surprise. And while fans wish he would stick around forever, he admitted last month he has a lingering desire to be a head coach.
“Yeah, I'd say this, I think there's a burning desire in every man to find what he's made out of and push the limits to see if he's got what it takes,” Johnson said. “Yeah, there's a fire there. When that time is, I don't know when that would be, but there's certainly a fire there.”
After last year, it’s difficult to predict whether this will be the right time. It’s conceivable a Super Bowl victory could be a tipping point. Regardless, after engineering potent offenses the past three seasons, he’s earned the right to be selective. Given many coaches only get one shot to get it right, it’s a wise approach.
As for Glenn, there have been minimal concerns about his ability to lead, rather, he's previously been anchored by his unit's limited production. Heading an overhaul of Detroit’s defense upon his arrival in 2021, the unit’s turnaround took longer than the rest of the rebuild, finishing 31st, 28th and 23rd in scoring the past three seasons. That’s tough to sell to a fan base when hiring a head coach.
But Glenn’s ability to navigate the loss of several starters this season — including potential Defensive Player of the Year Aidan Hutchinson — while leading the Lions to a top-10 finish in points and several statistical categories, has solidified his candidacy.
“He’s as good a coach as you’re going to find, “ Lions coach Campbell said on Tuesday. “He’s an even better human being. Look, if nobody wants him, I’ll take him again. I can tell you that right now. The thought of going through another cycle and he’s not somebody’s head coach is ridiculous. I mean, this guy is as good as they come, and he can do it all. He understands how to manage a game, he understands offense, defense, special teams. He knows how to communicate. He understands discipline of players and he’s motivating, he’s inspiring.”
Currently, four of six teams looking for a new coach have requested to talk to Johnson. Meanwhile, five — all but the New England Patriots — have asked to talk to Glenn.
Avoiding arbitrary rankings of those six vacancies, let’s look at what each job offers their next potential coach.