With Ben Johnson on the move to Chicago, 5 head coaching vacancies remain

 

[January 22, 2025]  By ROB MAADDI

Ben Johnson made a quick decision. Aaron Glenn could be next.

With Johnson heading to Chicago and Mike Vrabel already in New England, five head coaching vacancies remain.

The Jets, Saints, Jaguars, Raiders and Cowboys are still in the hunt.

Johnson, who was Detroit’s offensive coordinator, agreed to become the Chicago Bears head coach on Monday, two days after the No. 1 seeded Lions lost to Washington.

Glenn, who is Detroit’s defensive coordinator, has interviewed with several teams and could get an offer this week after a round of second interviews.

Here’s a look at each team’s search:

Dallas Cowboys
Deion Sanders and owner Jerry Jones have talked about the position after Mike McCarthy was let go but the close friends haven’t had a formal discussion. Eleven-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, who played 16 of his 17 seasons in Dallas, was mentioned as a candidate but also hasn’t received an interview.

The Cowboys interviewed Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who played for the team and then served as Dak Prescott’s play-caller for four seasons. Dallas also interviewed former Jets coach Robert Saleh and former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier.

Dallas was set to interview Brian Schottenheimer, their offensive coordinator, on Tuesday, a person with direct knowledge of the plan told The Associated Press.

This will be the ninth head coach for Jones since he purchased the team in 1989 and fired the legendary Tom Landry, who coached the Cowboys for 29 years from the team’s inception.

Jones hired Jimmy Johnson away from Miami and they won a pair of Super Bowls together. He brought in former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer six years after he last coached and they won the franchise’s most recent Super Bowl 29 years ago with a team Johnson assembled.

Of the next six coaches, Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips and McCarthy had previously been head coaches in the NFL. Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and Jason Garrett had been coordinators.

Las Vegas Raiders
Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco were fired after one season, opening a path for new minority owner Tom Brady to have major input into the team’s direction.

The Raiders have requested or conducted interviews with Johnson and Glenn, former Seattle Seahawks and Southern California coach Pete Carroll, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Saleh and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Owner Mark Davis already said he values Brady’s input in the process. Las Vegas also is interviewing for a general manager.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches during warmups before an NFL football divisional playoff game against the Washington Commanders, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars announced Monday they have scheduled in-person interviews with Saleh, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. All three are slated to be in Jacksonville this week to meet face-to-face with owner Shad Khan, general manager Trent Baalke and others. Coen is first up on Wednesday.

The Jaguars already interviewed Johnson, Glenn, Spagnuolo, Moore, Bills OC Joe Brady and Ravens OC Todd Monken.

After two winning seasons under Doug Pederson and a playoff win, the Jaguars finished 4-13 and returned to the coach market.

This will be the fourth coach for Baalke since taking over as GM in 2021.

New Orleans Saints
Glenn, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver and Giants OC Mike Kafka are getting second interviews with the Saints.

Interim coach Darren Rizzi, who went 3-5 following Dennis Allen’s firing, was among the candidates already interviewed along with Joe Brady, Moore and former Stanford coach David Shaw.

Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury is on the team’s list but he’s waiting until after the season. The Saints also are interested in McCarthy.

New York Jets
The Jets have held an exhaustive search, interviewing 16 candidates already.

Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. was the latest candidate to speak to the Jets and the team has scheduled a second interview with Glenn.

Joseph, Nagy, Rizzi, Rivera, Spagnuolo, Vrabel, Steelers OC Arthur Smith, Vikings DC Brian Flores, Packers DC Jeff Hafley, Maryland coach Mike Locksley, Vikings QBs coach Josh McCown, former Jets coach Rex Ryan, Texans OC Bobby Slowik and interim coach Jeff Ulbrich also have interviewed.

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AP Pro Football Writers Dennis Waszak, Mark Long and Schuyler Dixon contributed.

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