Saints could lose out on Aaron Glenn to another franchise he’s deeply connected to

The New Orleans Saints have started their coaching search, and all signs point to Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn being the team’s top target. Former Saints stars Drew Brees and Reggie Bush have both recently endorsed Glenn as a candidate, and all reports say that he’s the guy New Orleans really wants.

That especially seems to be the case with the recent developments in the coaching cycle. The New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, and one of the other top candidates, Ben Johnson, isn’t set to interview with New Orleans. That leaves Glenn as the big fish for the Saints to catch.

Since New Orleans fired Dennis Allen, Glenn has been connected to the opening. The reason why is that he played his final season with the Saints in 2008, and he also spent five years on the coaching staff as the defensive backs coach from 2016-2020. That was the role that earned him the defensive coordinator position in Detroit.

While Glenn’s history with the Saints make them an ideal partnership, New Orleans isn’t the only franchise he played for that has an opening. Glenn also played for the New York Jets, and is interviewing to be their head coach as well. According to CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones, the decision for Glenn could ultimately come down to the Saints and Jets.

Aaron Glenn could ultimately decide between the Saints and Jets

While Glenn’s playing career ended with the Saints, it started with the Jets. He was drafted by New York in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft with the 12th-overall pick, and spent his first eight seasons playing there. While he never coached with the Jets, he did have his longest playing tenure with them.

That means if the Saints are going to ultimately land Glenn, it’s going to take more than having history with him. The franchise needs to convince him that New Orleans is the better coaching opportunity, because Glenn could be making the decision in the end.

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