AFC East

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn reportedly had an impressive interview with the New York Jets regarding the team's head coaching vacancy.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Saturday that Glenn is one of the "hottest" candidates during the current hiring cycle and the Jets are considered a potential destination.

"Keep an eye on the Jets as a possibility for Aaron Glenn," Pelissero said. "He played for that team. My understanding is he had a really strong interview. Expect him to be in the mix, though worth noting that New York is still going through about 20 different interviews for that job."

The Jets held a virtual interview with Glenn on Thursday.

The 52-year-old has received plenty of interest since the regular season came to a close, with Pelissero noting that he's already interviewed for five of the six current head coaching openings around the league. Glenn reportedly declined an interview request from the New England Patriots.

He's also meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears on Saturday.

ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported on Thursday that Glenn "still seems like the favorite" for the New Orleans Saints vacancy, as he was part of the team's staff for five seasons as a defensive backs coach before joining the Lions.

He also has a prior connection to the Jets during his playing days, as the former defensive back spent the first eight years of his career on the team from 1994 through 2001.

It's easy to see why Glenn has generated plenty of interest, as he's been a crucial part of Detroit's turnaround under head coach Dan Campbell. In his first year with the team, the Lions owned the second-worst scoring defense and fifth-worst run defense in the NFL.

In 2024, Detroit finished with the No. 7 scoring defense and the fifth-ranked run defense in the league to go along with an overall record of 15-2. His ability to maintain an elite defense is especially impressive considering star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson has been out since Week 6 due to a fractured tibia and fibula.

As Glenn progresses through his latest series of interviews, he reportedly made a strong impression on the Jets.

The New England Patriots and the agent for Mike Vrabel have discussed a contract after he interviewed with the team as part of its coaching search, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero's colleague Ian Rapoport said Vrabel is "believed to be the overwhelming favorite" for the Pats:

While Vrabel's hiring by New England isn't a fait accompli, the two were linked before the team had even fired Jerod Mayo.

On Jan. 6, NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry reported that Vrabel's interview with the New York Jets was considered by some to be a "calculated" move by the former Tennessee Titans coach. In their view, he was attempting to motivate the Patriots to act as if they were waffling on Mayo's status.

Then the Pats sent Mayo packing.

Vrabel spent eight seasons in New England as a player. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion there and is a member of the franchise's Hall of Fame.

The 49-year-old is also a contrast from his predecessor in that he's proven as an NFL head coach. The Titans had a .545 winning percentage and made the playoffs three times in his six years at the helm.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft lamented how he believes he made Mayo a head coach before the retired two-time Pro Bowler was ready for the role. That wouldn't be an issue with Vrabel.

Still, both sides are exploring all of their options.

In addition to his meeting with the Jets, Vrabel interviewed with the Chicago Bears this week. New England, meanwhile, spoke with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Pelissero and Rapoport's reporting nonetheless strengthens the perception it's only a matter of time before Vrabel's hiring by the Patriots is finalized.

Aaron Rodgers was visibly emotional after what could have been his final game as an NFL quarterback.

Rodgers could be seen embracing coaches and teammates, including tight end Tyler Conklin, after the Jets' season-ending win over the Miami Dolphins in the latest episode of One Jets Drive (22-minute mark.)

Rodgers had one of his strongest performances of the year in the Jets' final contest of the 2024 campaign. He threw four touchdown passes with one interception against the Dolphins to lead New York to a 32-20 win at home.

The veteran quarterback gave his teammates a speech in the locker room following the game, and in his postgame interviews called his time in New York part of the "best two years of my life."

Rodgers is signed for one more season, but both he and Jets leadership have expressed uncertainty over whether the 41-year-old will return for another season.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post's Brian Costello before Sunday's game that next season's quarterback decision will be "up to the coach."

Following the midseason firing of Robert Saleh, the Jets have interviewed head coaching candidates including Rex Ryan, Ron Rivera, Matt Nagy, Mike Vrabel, Mike Locksley and Aaron Glenn. Whichever hire Johnson makes this offseason could impact the chances Rodgers comes back to MetLife in 2025.

The Buffalo Bills released renderings Thursday of their planned new Highmark Stadium, which will be built for $2.1 billion and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026.

The new stadium will feature two "state of the art video boards" and a new audio system that "allows targeting of sound to specific areas of the stadium." The stadium will also feature a stacked concourse to bring fans closer to the playing surface, will be fully ADA compliant and will contain "radiant heat points" to help deal with the frigid temperatures later in the season.

The Bills have been in the current Highmark Stadium since 1973, when it was first opened as Rich Stadium. The new stadium will be built across the street from the current stadium, and the Bills opted to keep the stadium as an open-air stadium rather than a dome.

The Bills will enter their new stadium while likely remaining a top contender in the AFC, with quarterback Josh Allen under contract through 2028. The open-air state of the stadium will not make it an option to host a Super Bowl, due to the conditions in the region in February, but the team will still be able to embrace the regional weather and the culture built from the original Highmark Stadium.

As the Bills prepare to close the chapter on their current stadium, the team will hope to bring at least one championship home.

The New York Jets are exploring the college ranks amid their head coaching search.

The team announced on Friday that it completed an interview with University of Maryland head coach and former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley.

The Jets interviewed Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn on Thursday and spoke to Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on Wednesday.

Locksley previously interviewed for the Miami Dolphins head coaching position in 2022. That job eventually went to Mike McDaniel. He has been the Terrapins head coach since 2019.

Locksley has compiled an overall record of 33-41 at Maryland and has led the program to three bowl game victories. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Alabama and Illinois and also was a head coach for New Mexico. He has never coached at the NFL level.

The Jets went 5-12 in 2024 and missed the postseason for the 14th consecutive season. Head coach Robert Saleh was fired during the season and the team has been casting a wide net in its search over the past week.

The Jets have requested interviews with 15 coaching candidates and have completed interviews with notable candidates like Mike Vrabel, Glenn, Ron Rivera, Rex Ryan and Nagy thus far.

Aaron Glenn is getting interest from every team with a head coaching vacancy this offseason, but the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator has already pulled his name out of the running for one of those teams.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Glenn declined an interview request from the New England Patriots. He'll interview with the other five teams in the coming days.

This includes the New York Jets, who announced they completed an interview with the coach on Thursday.

Glenn's popularity this year makes sense given his success in Detroit over the last few years. He joined the Lions' staff in 2021 when Dan Campbell took over as head coach and helped lead the team from winning just three games in 2021 to going 15-2 this year.

Detroit finished inside the top 10 in team defense this season despite having a number of key starters dealing with injuries. The most notable injury for the Lions this year was star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who played just five games. Even with no Hutchinson for most of the season, Detroit gave up the fifth-fewest rushing yards in 2024.

Perhaps Glenn's most impressive feat this season was his defense's performance against the Minnesota Vikings last week. With the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line, Glenn's defense limited the Vikings to just 262 yards of total offense and kept them out of the endzone entirely.

"He's as good of a coach as you're going to find," Campbell said of Glenn earlier this week, per the Detroit Free Press' Jared Ramsey. "He's an even better human being. If nobody wants him, I'll take him again, I can tell you that right now. But the thought of going through another cycle and he's not somebody's head coach, is ridiculous."

Glenn has more than a decade of experience as an NFL coach now, but he's still waiting to get his first head-coaching job. With five interviews lined up, he'll likely get his chance this offseason.

Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill isn't looking to leave the team this offseason despite his comments indicating he was unhappy with the franchise, his agent said on Thursday.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Hill's agent Drew Rosenhaus said the wideout is "committed" to the Dolphins and fans shouldn't worry about his status with the team.

Rosenhaus also revealed that Hill suffered a broken wrist during a preseason scrimmage with the Washington Commanders and chose to forgo potential season-ending surgery and play the 2024 campaign.

He played in all 17 games and finished the year with 81 catches, 959 yards and six touchdowns, his first time falling short of 1,000 yards since he was limited to 12 games in 2019 when he was still with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hill got off to a strong start to the season but unsurprisingly, his production took a nosedive after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined with a concussion. Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson are ill-equipped to fully capitalize on his downfield abilities.

In general, Hill has more than lived up to his end of the bargain after the Dolphins signed him to what was then a record-setting $120 million contract. He caught 238 passes for 3,509 yards and 20 touchdowns through his first two years with the team.

His arrival undoubtedly helped Tagovailoa's development, with the 2020 first-round pick getting a massive extension of his own.

The Dolphins' continued spending has raised questions over Hill's long-term future in South Florida, however. He's due to be a free agent in 2027, and giving him another market-level contract might present some challenges with the salary cap.

However, as Rosenhaus declared, the 30-year-old isn't going anywhere for the time being.

The New York Jets have cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach, but there are dissenting opinions among insiders regarding which direction the team will go.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that "the three names I'm hearing most" in the Jets' head coaching search are former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. However, Graziano added that none of them are considered a lock to land in New York.

"All those guys are drawing interest elsewhere, and Glenn and Flores are in good situations currently," Graziano stated. "So it's possible the Jets don't get any of the three, which is one reason they are looking at a bigger pool of candidates."

Also, all three of those candidates have defensive backgrounds, which the Jets already know too much about. Former head coach Robert Saleh, who was fired after the team's 2-3 start to the 2024 season, was one of the most respected defensive minds in the league when he was hired in 2021. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler raised the possibility of New York pursuing a candidate with an offensive background.

"People I've talked to think they will go offense on the coaching side, but some of the strongest candidates are on defense, which could sway things," Fowler stated.

Whatever the Jets decide, they will have to make sure they hire someone who can help end their lengthy run of disappointment. New York hasn't made the playoffs in 14 straight seasons, so it should be focused on bringing in a candidate who can help turn its fortunes around.

The New England Patriots' search for a new head coach is still in the early stages, but it sounds like there's already a frontrunner for the job.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, former Patriots linebacker and coveted coaching candidate Mike Vrabel could be on the verge of a homecoming.

"Vrabel is indeed the heavy favorite from all that I'm hearing, as he fits the mold when it comes to organization, player development and leadership," Fowler stated. "Whether Vrabel wants a level of personnel say or his own guys in the building remains to be seen."

Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a coaching consultant for the Cleveland Browns. He became one of the most respected coaches in the NFL over his six-year run with the Tennessee Titans, as he led the team to a 54-45 record with three playoff appearances and earned the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2021.

Fowler noted that the Patriots only have four known interviews scheduled, as former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich spoke with the team on Wednesday. Vrabel is set to meet with New England on Thursday, and Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson will have a virtual interview with the team on Friday.

If Vrabel is tabbed as the Patriots' next head coach, Fowler noted that he could bring another familiar face with him as well in former OC Josh McDaniels, who was a member of New England's coaching staff under former head coach Bill Belichick from 2001 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2021.

"There is buzz in some coaching circles that Josh McDaniels could be a prime candidate to be Vrabel's offensive coordinator," Fowler wrote. "That would be quite the nostalgia tandem, and though McDaniels is a two-time failed head coach, no one disputes his coordinator chops."

The New York Jets have interviewed a former head coach and current offensive coordinator for their vacant head-coaching job.

The team announced Wednesday that it had completed an interview with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Nagy was the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021.

The interview with the Jets comes amid the New Orleans Saints' reported interest in Nagy for their head coaching vacancy.

Nagy has been a coach in the NFL since 2008, getting his start with the Philadelphia Eagles before becoming the Chiefs' quarterback coach in 2013. He held that position for three seasons and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016.

The Bears hired Nagy in 2018 and he found success early on, leading Chicago to a division title and its first playoff appearance since 2010. After a 12-4 season in his first year, Nagy proceeded to post .500 or worse seasons over the next three years. He went 8-8 in 2018 and 2019 before going 6-11 in 2021, ultimately leading to his firing.

Nagy returned to Kansas City upon his firing from the Bears, taking over as a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach before reassuming his role as offensive coordinator last year. He helped the Chiefs win their third Super Bowl in five years last season and helped guide them to a 15-2 season this year.

The Jets could have some competition for Nagy, as The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that the Saints are expected to "show interest" in him, though there have been no reports that New Orleans has set up an interview yet.

Along with Nagy, the Jets are expected to request an interview with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. They plan to interview Mike Vrabel and have already interviewed Rex Ryan and Ron Rivera.