Dan Campbell 'Nervous' Ahead of Aaron Glenn's Saints Interview
In the NFL coaching world, nobody is off limits.
Just a year ago, the Detroit Lions poached New Orleans Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell to fill the team’s head coaching vacancy.
Campbell then took a fellow member of the Saints staff, secondary coach Aaron Glenn, to serve in the role of defensive coordinator.
Now, as the 2021 offseason ramps up, Glenn himself is interviewing for his former team’s head coaching vacancy.
He’s scheduled to interview with New Orleans for the position Wednesday.
Campbell acknowledged the fact his assistant could, in fact, take the job, if it is offered to him, during a meeting with reporters on Tuesday at the Senior Bowl.
“I think he’d be a great fit,” Campbell said. “That’s why I’m nervous. I think he’d be a great fit, and honestly (Glenn) would be a good fit for just about anybody. That’s how much I think of him.”
In his first season with the Lions, Glenn schemed a unit that produced mixed results. The team looked well prepared and competitive in matchups with teams such as Baltimore and Green Bay, but was also beaten handedly by Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Seattle.
Glenn has been a candidate for numerous jobs throughout the offseason coaching carousel. He interviewed for the vacancy in Denver, but was not named as a finalist.
When Sean Payton, who had coached the Saints since 2006, announced his decision to step down, Glenn’s name quickly surfaced as a potential replacement.
“I know that’s real, that’s out there,” Campbell said. “(New Orleans) has a great feel for Glenn, and he has a great feel of that organization, the players and all it entails. And so, if you’re asking me if it’s a fit, I hope it doesn’t go that way.”
The Saints will also interview former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and the team’s current defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for their opening.
For Detroit's 49-year-old defensive coordinator, having an opportunity to interview with front-office executives has allowed him to share how he would run a team, if he was put in charge.
“I have no idea of everything that goes into the lawsuit with Brian (Flores), so I don’t want to speak on that. But, me, personally, I thought all my interviews were really good interviews. The way I look at it is I get a chance to get in front of these GMs and other high-level people in the organization and just express my thoughts on how to be a head coach and how to run an organization. That’s the only way I look at it," Glenn told reporters at the Senior Bowl. "I don’t look at it like they’re fake interviews or anything like that. If that was to happen, that’s a shame for the league. But, I haven’t experienced that, just to be honest with you.”
Glenn also shared what his experience was like during his interview with Denver Broncos general manager George Paton.
“I think George Paton is a hell of a GM. I like the way that he handled the interview. The start of the interview was just me and him for an hour, just talking. And, I would say the last three hours -- actually, it went longer than that, which was surprising. My interview was almost six-and-a-half hours," Glenn explained. "To me, that spoke volumes. Apparently, they liked what they were hearing.”
