The New Orleans Saints are just one of three teams to fire their head coach during the 2024 NFL season, cutting ties with Dennis Allen. While New Orleans can’t officially meet with head-coach candidates until the offseason, one popular name is emerging in the Saints coaching search.
While there will only be a handful of coaching vacancies this year, the job in New Orleans is widely viewed as one of the worst available. The Saints are effectively stuck with Derek Carr and they have long-term salary cap issues, making it especially difficult to turn things around.
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That could prove problematic if the Saints coaching search centers on top candidates like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. However, it appears New Orleans is already thinking about going in a different direction.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the feeling around the league right now is that the Saints coaching search will focus on candidates with ties to general manager Mickey Loomis. It’s one of the many reasons why Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is generating significant buzz for New Orleans.
“The feeling in league circles is that general manager Mickey Loomis will lean towards someone he knows, with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — who narrowly lost out to Allen last time around — a frequent name mentioned.”
Tom Pelissero on the New Orleans Saints coaching search and Detroit Lions DC Aaron Glenn
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Glenn, age 52, is widely regarded around the league both for his defensive mind and his leadership. He’s also drawn rave reviews from his peers for maintaining one of the best NFL defenses this season despite losing Aidan Hutchinson and other key players to injuries.
Before being hired as the Lions defensive coordinator, Glenn worked in New Orleans. Sean Payton hired him to the Saints coaching staff in 2016 as a defensive backs coach, where Glenn thrived. He received significant credit for helping develop the Saints’ defensive backs and for his role in shaping one of the league’s best defenses.
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While the Saints are an obvious potential landing spot for Glenn to become a head coach, there will be significant competition for him. He’s also believed to be on the New York Jets radar and he’ll be brought in for interviews by several other teams who will have head-coaching vacancies after the season ends.