Even insiders aren't hiding that Aaron Glenn might be a lock to coach the Saints

While a few NFL teams are gearing up for the postseason, most front offices are dealing with the aftermath of their losing season. Before any changes can be made to their roster, teams are attempting to build coaching staffs that can steer them in the right direction.

The New Orleans Saints are among the teams looking to fill their head coaching vacancy. Ever since the departure of former head coach Sean Payton, the Saints have been facing a downward trajectory. 

New Orleans scored 91 total points in their first two games this season, but then managed just 94 total points over their next six games. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was fired after losing seven straight games, and interim head coach Darren Rizzi didn’t accomplish nearly enough to warrant retaining the coaching role in 2025.

As New Orleans faces an overwhelming salary cap deficit, they will likely need to find a coach who can produce positive results despite working with a dearth of talent. That’s partially why Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is the ideal candidate for the Saints.

Aaron Glenn seems to be a lock for Saints head coaching role

Glenn has become one of the most coveted candidates of the 2025 head coach carousel. Five team have scheduled an interview with the player-turned-coach after Detroit’s spectacular 2024 campaign, but he appears to be the favorite to land in New Orleans. 

Glenn completed a virtual interview with the Saints, the team announced in a social media post on Friday. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport highlighted the interview in a response to the social media post.

“Pretty important one for the [Saints]…” Rapoport posted in response to Glenn’s virtual interview. 

Glenn may have offers from teams with brighter futures, but he could still prefer the Saints because of his personal ties to the organization. 

Glenn has spent the past four seasons on the Lions staff alongside head coach Dan Campbell, but he has ties to the Saints as both a player and a coach. Glenn spent the final season of his 15-year playing career in New Orleans. He retired after the 2008 season, but returned to New Orleans in 2016 and served as the defensive backs coach for five seasons.

New Orleans is likely facing a long rebuild ahead, but Glenn displayed the ability to be productive with limited resources. Detroit suffered a slew of defensive injuries throughout the 2024 season. Since the start of training camp, the Lions have placed 13 defensive players on the injured reserve list, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. 

The injuries forced Detroit to assemble a defensive unit with midseason additions, but Glenn's patchwork defense still finished as the seventh-best scoring unit in the league. They also generated the fifth-most interceptions (16) and allowed the second-fewest passing touchdowns (16) despite facing the third-most passing attempts (610).