It’s been crickets since the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, but the Detroit Lions’ stunning playoff loss to the Washington Commanders could change that.
We’ve mentioned before how Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson being temporarily unavailable could hold back the coaching cycle. Now that they’re officially on the market, the next dominos can be toppled.
Glenn and Johnson represent the top candidates on each side of the ball. Johnson is the favorite for the Las Vegas Raiders, and Glenn is the favorite for the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.
The Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, and Jacksonville Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence, have young quarterbacks and could be aiming to pair them with an offensive mind. Williams has already expressed his desire for this outcome and Johnson specifically.
The Raiders aren’t the only ones hoping to land Johnson, and once he makes his decision, at least one team will have to pivot.
There is a clearcut top-two for Glenn, but the same could be said about him. Either New York or New Orleans will have to go to their secondary options.
With the Lions out of the playoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Glenn and Johnson schedule their in-person interviews early in the week and sign before the next round of playoff games.