Detroit Lions pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand watches practice at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.

Jets keep poaching Lions, hire Tanner Engstrand as OC

The New York Jets announced the hiring of Tanner Engstrand as their next offensive coordinator on Friday, continuing to raid the Detroit Lions’ cupboard in the process.

Engstrand, 42, was on the Lions’ staff since 2020 and served as their passing game coordinator for the past three seasons.

He follows Aaron Glenn to New York after the Jets tapped Glenn, formerly Detroit’s defensive coordinator, as their new head coach. The Jets also recently hired ex-Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden to be their offensive line coach.

Engstrand helped Jared Goff and the Lions rank No. 1 in the NFL in scoring offense (33.2 points per game), No. 2 in total offense (409.5 yards per game) and No. 2 in passing offense (263.2 ypg) this past season.

Engstrand has yet to serve as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, but he did so at the University of San Diego from 2011-17. He played quarterback at Grossmont College and San Diego State.

Engstrand was a San Diego State teammate of new Jets general manager Darren Mougey, also a quarterback, in 2004. Current Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was the starting quarterback.

The Jets have a major decision to make with their own quarterback, as 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers expressed during last season that if he were to continue playing in 2025, he’d want it to be for New York.

–Field Level Media

Dec 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith during warmups against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Reports: Jets’ search heats up with interview requests

The New York Jets requested interviews with at least a half-dozen coordinators and other assistants as their coaching search intensified Monday, per multiple reports.

Offensive coordinators Arthur Smith (Steelers), Bobby Slowik (Texans) and Joe Brady (Bills), defensive coordinators Aaron Glenn (Lions) and Vance Joseph (Broncos), and quarterbacks coach Brian Griese (49ers) were candidates named in multiple reports.

The Jets (5-12) fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start this season and went 3-9 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.

In addition, the Jets reportedly completed first interviews with former two-time head coach Ron Rivera and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

Smith, 42, is in his first season with Pittsburgh after posting three consecutive 7-10 seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23.

Smith’s Steelers, who will visit the Baltimore Ravens for a wild-card game on Saturday night, finished the regular season ranked 16th in scoring (22.4 points per game) and 23rd in total offense (319.4 yards per game).

Slowik, 37, is in his second season with the Texans after working as an assistant for the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan from 2017-22. The Texans were 19th in scoring (21.9) and 22nd in total offense (319.7).

Brady, 35, joined the Buffalo staff in 2022 and is in his first full season as the offensive coordinator. The Bills ranked second in scoring (30.9) and 10th in total offense (359.1).

Glenn, 52, has been the Lions’ DC since 2021. Detroit finished seventh in the league this season in scoring defense (20.1) and 20th in total defense (342.4).

Joseph, 52, compiled an 11-21 record in two seasons as head coach of the Broncos from 2017-18. In his second season as head coach Sean Payton’s DC in 2024, Denver finished third in scoring defense (18.3) and seventh in total defense (317.1).

Griese, 49, just finished his third season coaching the San Francisco quarterbacks. He was a QB in the league for 11 seasons with four teams from 1998-2008, earning one Pro Bowl selection.

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing walks on the sideline before the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brent Skeen-Imagn Images

Report: Bears request interviews with Cards OC, Lions coordinators

The Chicago Bears submitted formal requests to interview Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as well both coordinators from the Detroit Lions, NFL Network reported Monday.

The Bears (5-12) fired head coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 after a 4-8 start.

The Bears put in requests to interview Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, per the report. Both are expected to attract multiple interviews this offseason. The Lions garnered the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Chicago snapped a 10-game losing streak and picked up its first win under interim coach Thomas Brown with a season-ending 24-22 victory at Green Bay on Sunday. Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Sunday that Brown, who started the season as the passing game coordinator, will also get an interview.

“It was challenging,” Brown said Monday, “but I learned a lot about myself this year.”

Brown said he is confident Poles learned more about him by watching him run the team than he could articulate in an interview.

Petzing, 37, just completed his second season as the offensive coordinator under Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The Cardinals (8-9) missed the playoffs but finished 12th in the NFL in scoring (23.5 points per game) and 11th in total offense (358.2 yards per game).

Petzing previously worked as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns (2013, 2020-22) and Vikings (2014-19), crossing over with current Bears president Kevin Warren in Minnesota.

–Field Level Media

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches a play against Tennessee Titans during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.

Take 5: Early candidates to be Saints’ next head coach

The New Orleans Saints became the second team to get a head start on the NFL coaching carousel by firing Dennis Allen on Monday.

He follows Robert Saleh, who was let go by the New York Jets last month. Allen’s departure appeared imminent as the Saints dropped their seventh consecutive game on Sunday following two wins to begin the season.

Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi will serve as the team’s interim head coach for the remainder of the season, and here are five early candidates to become the Saints’ next head coach in the offseason.

5. Mike Vrabel, Browns Consultant
Vrabel, 49, is spending this season as a consultant for Cleveland after parting ways with Tennessee last offseason. The NFL’s Coach of the Year in 2021, Vrabel spent six years at the helm of the Titans. He is highly respected in league circles and is expected to be on the short list for several vacancies this offseason.

4. Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator
As impressive as the Lions’ offense is, Glenn has been doing an outstanding job leading the defense, which has continued to befuddle opponents following the devastating injury to pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit is allowing an average of 357.1 yards per game, but a solid portion of that is coming in garbage time of blowout victories. The Lions are allowing only 18.5 points per game, good for sixth in the NFL entering Monday night.

Glenn, 52, has ties to the Saints’ franchise. After closing his playing career with a season in New Orleans in 2008, he returned to serve as the team’s defensive backs coach from 2016-20 before taking the reins of the Lions’ defense. The big hurdle in a potential third stint in New Orleans could be the team’s interest in an offensive-minded head coach following the failed Allen tenure.

3. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator
Brady has been lauded for his work with Josh Allen & Co. since taking over midseason in 2023. Despite deal away Stefon Diggs last offseason and Allen working with a mediocre group of wide receivers, Buffalo is fifth in the NFL averaging 28.9 points per game.

Brady also has strong ties to New Orleans, working as an offensive assistant for the Saints from 2017-18 before moving on to become the passing game coordinator for LSU the following season. After two years as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator, Brady moved on to Buffalo in 2022. He would potentially become the youngest head coach in the NFL, having just turned 35 in September.

2. Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator
Sticking with the offensive-minded theme, Monken currently oversees the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense in terms of total yards and No. 2 scoring offense at 31.4 points per game. Monken, 58, is a longtime offensive coordinator at the pro and college levels. He came to Baltimore last season after running Georgia’s offense for three years, winning a pair of national titles in the process.

Monken began his coaching career at Division II Grand Valley State in 1989 and has served stints at Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and LSU in addition to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Bucs and Cleveland Browns.

1. Ben Johnson, Lions Offensive Coordinator
Yes, Bill Belichick might be the biggest name available this offseason but no one is shaping up to be more sought after than Johnson. The Lions “only” have the seventh-ranked total offense in the league but Detroit is regularly blowing opponents out on the strength of an offense that leads the NFL with an average of 32.3 points per game.

How interested Johnson is in the Saints’ job could depend upon where New Orleans stacks up at the end of the season in terms of landing one of the top QBs in the draft and which other vacancies become available.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) and quarterback Brock Glenn (11) before the game between the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Florida State Seminoles at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Florida St. QB DJ Uiagalelei (finger) questionable vs. Clemson

Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is questionable for Saturday’s home game against No. 15 Clemson due to a finger injury.

Coach Mike Norvell confirmed Monday that his signal-caller’s status will be evaluated during the week. Uiagalelei and backup Brock Glenn are both listed atop the depth chart for the Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 ACC) against the Tigers (3-1, 2-0).

Uiagalelei’s hand was hit while throwing a pick-six, his third interception of the game, in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 42-16 defeat at SMU.

Uiagalelei, who began his career at Clemson (2020-22) before playing last season at Oregon State, has been underwhelming for the disappointing Seminoles. He has completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 1,065 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions in five starts.

“DJ did make a lot of good throws throughout the course of the game and some good decisions,” Norvell said Monday. “He made some poor decisions and a couple bad throws, but you’ve got to help the quarterback. I don’t think we’ve done a good job of that consistently. At the end of the day, we all have to have ownership in that.”

Making his first appearance of the season against the Mustangs, Glenn was 0-for-4 passing after replacing Uiagalelei. He completed 19 of 51 passes for 229 yards and two interceptions in five games in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn walks off the field after 20-6 win over Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.

Falcons interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn for HC job

The Atlanta Falcons interviewed Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head-coaching vacancy on Friday.

The interview took place virtually with Lions scheduled to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC divisional round playoff game on Sunday.

The Detroit defense ranked 23rd in scoring defense at 23.2 points per game in the regular season and 19th in total defense at 336.1 yards per game. But the Lions racked up seven sacks and held Atlanta out of the end zone in a 20-6 victory in Week 3.

Glenn, 51, is in his third season as Detroit’s defensive coordinator.

Glenn was a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback during a 15-year NFL playing career from 1994-2008. He intercepted 41 passes, returning six for touchdowns, while playing for the New York Jets (1994-2001), Houston Texans (2002-04), Dallas Cowboys (2005-06), Jacksonville Jaguars (2007) and New Orleans Saints (2008).

Atlanta has interviewed nine candidates for the post, including former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and current Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. The Falcons have scheduled a second interview with Belichick for Saturday.

The others to interview with Atlanta are Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Ravens assistant head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver.

The Falcons fired Arthur Smith after Atlanta finished the 2023 season with the same record — 7-10 — for the third consecutive season under Smith.

–Field Level Media

Dec 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich looks on in the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Saints seek interviews with Byron Leftwich, Aaron Glenn

Sean Payton’s retirement created another coaching vacancy this week, and the New Orleans Saints’ search began taking shape on Thursday.

Multiple reports indicated Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, a finalist to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was near the top of the list along with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Current defensive coordinator Dennis Allen reportedly interviewed for the opening. NFL Network reported earlier this week that Allen is considered the frontrunner for the job.

Conflicted reports Thursday indicated the Jaguars could seal the deal with Leftwich, but questions about front-office structure and roster control were thought to be challenges.

Leftwich, a quarterback in Jacksonville who has called the plays for division rival Tampa Bay under Bruce Arians, has never been a head coach.

Glenn spent five seasons as secondary coach of the Saints under Payton and is a former NFL cornerback. Glenn also has zero experience as a head coach.

–Field Level Media