Aaron Glenn is no longer the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. Glenn successfully landed the head coaching position with the New York Jets after a very strong, quick courtship with the team where he began his NFL playing career.
Glenn has been the Lions defensive coordinator for the last four seasons, the entirety of the Dan Campbell coaching era. He came with Campbell from New Orleans. Glenn’s aggressive, man-heavy defensive scheme struggled through a radical schematic and personnel overhaul from the Matt Patricia era.
He did his best work in 2024, cobbling together a defense that finished 7th in scoring and 20th in yardage despite losing 15 players to the injured reserve, including top-level starters Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Carlton Davis and Alex Anzalone.
Glenn could take some Lions assistants with him to help flesh out his staff in New York. This will be Glenn’s first head coaching position at any level.
The Lions will get a third-round compensatory draft pick in both 2025 and 2026 for Glenn leaving as part of the NFL’s minority coaching initiative.
