Jacksonville

Jaguars

Glenn has now completed interviews with the Saints, Jets, Raiders and Jaguars. The 52-year-old Lions defensive coordinator is still set to interview with the Bears while he declined to meet with the Patriots. Glenn played for the Saints, Jaguars and Jets during his 15-year playing career and coached defensive backs with the Saints before coming to Detroit with Dan Campbell. It appears that Glenn will have a head coaching job by the end of this hiring cycle.

All three of the interviews will take place virtually. It’ll be a busy day for Spagnuolo, who has long been one of the best defensive coordinators in football. To say it didn’t work out as a head coach his first time around is quite the understatement as seen in a 10-38 career record, but he would be far from the first coach to fail in his first attempt only to find success. It would not be a surprise at all if Spagnuolo was leading one of those three teams by the start of the 2025 campaign.

Glenn already has five interviews lined up over the next three days. The Lions’ defensive coordinator is already scheduled to speak with the Jets, Saints, Raiders, Jaguars, and Bears and is not interested in setting up a sixth interview at this time — for one reason or another. Glenn is a near lock to land a head coaching job this offseason after keeping the Lions’ defense competitive despite multiple injuries to key players all season long. There’s a good chance he’ll meet with a few of these teams for a second time next week.

The Jaguars become the third team to request an interview with Spagnuolo, joining the Jets and Raiders. The former Rams head coach (2009-2011) also served as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017 and has a career record of 11-41. Spagnuolo is one of the top defensive minds in the league and has led three Super Bowl defenses during his time with the Chiefs (2019-present). Those who remember Spagnuolo’s first tenure as a head coach will raise their eyebrows at the thought of him getting another chance, but he’s been a popular name in coaching circles for the last few years given his success with the Chiefs.

Requested by at this point, the Patriots, Bears, and Jaguars, Johnson seems to be this cycle’s 1 or 1A head coach prospect outside of Mike Vrabel. Johnson is notably not interviewing with the Jets, something that makes sense once you realize he has pulled out of several interviews with unstable ownership situations. Johnson would certainly be a major step towards restoring the sheen to Trevor Lawrence’s career, but given how careful he has been, he might ask the Jaguars to part ways with GM Trent Baalke as part of any agreement. To this point, that’s something Shad Khan has been unwilling to do.

Graham is also interviewing for the Bengals defensive coordinator role that was left vacant by firing Lou Anarumo. The fact that Graham is getting interviews and even considering a horizontal move says a lot about the current job status situation in Las Vegas. Graham interviewed with the Chargers and Seahawks for their head coaching vacancies last year and has been a fixture on the coaching carousel in the 2020s.

Monken will be a popular name on the head coaching vacancy circuit after he led the Ravens to a league-high in yards and the third most points, along with the second best offensive success rate. The Jaguars could very well lean toward an offensive-minded head coach who could help revive Trevor Lawrence’s career following his disastrous 2024 season, which was marred by injury. The Jags are also requesting head coaching interviews with Robert Saleh and Kellen Moore, among others.

Moore is going to be a popular name in head coaching searches over the next few weeks. The Saints have also requested a head coaching interview with Moore after he guided the Eagles offense to the sixth highest EPA per play and the 13th best offensive success rate, fueled by a nearly historic campaign from Saquon Barkley. In Jacksonville, Moore would be tasked with reviving Trevor Lawrence’s career after a horrendous 2024 season and developing Brian Thomas into an elite NFL wideout following his tremendous rookie campaign.

Saleh, fired by the Jets back in October after he went 20-43 over three and a half seasons, is among eight coaches Jacksonville wants to interview for its head coaching vacancy. Saleh would be an upset pick over names like Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, and Todd Monken, though the Jaguars could be seeking a players coach and a defensive specialist who could improve a Jags defense that was one of the league’s worst in 2024. Saleh, 45, should see another head coaching opportunity after he was railroaded by Jets ownership this year.

Jacksonville won’t be able to interview Coen until next week, as the Bucs are preparing to take on the Commanders in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Coen did a masterful job with the Tampa offense in 2024. The Bucs ranked fifth in EPA per play in 2024, with Baker Mayfield posting the league’s fifth best drop back success rate on this way to a career-best 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns. Coen’s offense was particularly effective with screens and short area passes. It’s an element of the passing attack that could help Trevor Lawrence get his career back on track after a miserable 2024 campaign. In Jacksonville, Coen would scheme up plays for Brian Thomas, one of the most promising wideouts in recent memory.