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Reports around the National Football League indicate the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will have a second interview with the New York Jets on Tuesday, January 21. The Jets reportedly do not have any other second interviews scheduled, leading insiders to believe that they’re closing in on making Glenn their next head coach.
The New York Jets interviewed over a dozen head coach candidates since beginning their search and have reportedly identified Aaron Glenn, who was drafted by the Jets in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft and was a two-time Pro Bowler with the team, as their top target.
If Glenn is hired, he will be succeeding former head coach Robert Saleh, who was fired just five weeks into the 2024 season and was hired in 2021. Saleh is reportedly set to have a second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars, suggesting he could be closing in on landing that job.
“Top target Aaron Glenn visits the Jets and the goal is to keep him from leaving the building, sources say. The deal isn’t done & there are still some particulars to discuss. But if all goes well, he could end today as HC of the NYJ. If not, the Saints await,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on Tuesday morning.
ProFootballTalk has speculated that Glenn’s relationship with legendary head coach Bill Parcells, whom he played under with the Jets and Cowboys, should not be underestimated if Gang Green lands Glenn, one of the hottest head coaching candidates of this cycle.
“His time with coach Bill Parcells, who arrived in 1997 and who signed Glenn to the Dallas roster in 20005, should not be overlooked when it comes to tying Glenn to the Jets. Parcells has a separate connection to Mike Tannenbaum, the former Jets G.M. who is running the search for a new coach and general manager in New York. As one source observed on Monday, ‘Don’t underestimate the influence of [Parcells]’ on the situation.”
In addition to a new head coach, the Jets are also searching for a new general manager and have interviewed 15 candidates at the time of this writing: Thomas Dimitroff, Jon Robinson, Jim Nagy, Louis Riddick, Alec Halaby, Mike Borgonzi, Ray Farmer, Mike Greenberg, Darren Mougey, Lance Newmark, Trey Brown, Chris Spielman, Ryan Grigson, Jon-Eric Sullivan, and Brian Gaine.