Detroit Lions assistant coaches Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson are busy preparing the team for the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. But they’re also head coaching candidates for several of the vacancies around the league.
There are two less of those vacancies now that there were 24 hours ago.
On Wednesday night, news broke that Jim Harbaugh was leaving Michigan and the college ranks behind to accept the head coaching gig with the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s a position that both Glenn and Johnson interviewed for last weekend.
Some 18 hours later, multiple reports indicate the Carolina Panthers have hired Dave Canales as their new head coach. Canales, 42, was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 after spending years as an offensive assistant with the Seattle Seahawks.
While Glenn never interviewed with the Panthers, Johnson was an early favorite to be offered the position. He was the top choice for Panthers owner Dave Tepper last offseason, when Johnson pulled his name from consideration after interviewing with Carolina.
Johnson is still regarded as a prime candidate for the Washington Commanders head coaching vacancy. One report on Thursday even had Johnson as “a lock” to be the new coach there, though that remains to be seen.