Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said he expects to lose both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson to NFL head coaching gigs.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is preparing to lose both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching gigs this offseason.
“I would expect to lose both, but I haven’t been told anything,” Campbell said. “I just—I’ve got a feeling, but I’m prepared to lose both.”
Johnson has interviewed for four openings this season—Patriots, Raiders, Bears, and Jaguars—while Glenn has spoken to five teams—Jets, Saints, Jaguars, Bears, and Raiders. All signs seem to point to both landing jobs this cycle with ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently saying he expects both to become a head coach in 2025.
“Aaron Glenn is going to get a job in this cycle, Ben Johnson is going to get a job in this cycle, and I think that there’s every possibility—and probably likelihood—that the Lions are going to be losing both of their coordinators in this cycle,” Schefter said last week.
Johnson has been the Lions offensive coordinator for the last three years. In each of those seasons, Detroit has had a top-five scoring offense, culminating in the highest-scoring offense in football (and Lions history) in 2024. Glenn has held his position for the last four seasons, and while 2024 was his only season sporting a top-10 scoring defense, he has long held the respect of his defensive players.
“Does it hurt to lose those guys? Absolutely, they’re a part of what we’ve been here,” Campbell said. “I mean, they’ve been here for four years. They’re one of the major reasons why we’ve been able to get to where we’ve been, man. We came out of the dump and got to where we’re at. So, man, I will forever be grateful for those guys and our team will, and is it a loss? Absolutely, it’s a loss, but yet, man, we move forward, this train rolls on and I’ll find the next best guys for us.”
With the Lions now out of the playoffs, Johnson and Glenn are now free to interview with any team they would like. Glenn is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Jets, in person, on Tuesday and the Saints on Wednesday. It’s unclear what Johnson’s next move will be.
You can track the latest Lions coaching news with our 2025 NFL coaching carousel tracker.
