The Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell will see a familiar face on the opposite sideline this weekend. With his side taking on the New York Jets this Sunday, their head coach and the former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will be calling the plays for the Gang Green, making it an unusual sight for the Lions fans.
While the two coaches are competitors on the gridiron, they are close friends off the field, knowing each other years before they worked together in Detroit. On that note, Dan Campbell opened up about their relationship beyond football and the lasting impact he has had on a personal level.
“Aaron Glenn means the world to me. He’s one of my dearest friends,” Campbell admitted during the press conference this morning. “Because I know what he’s made of. One of the greatest days of my life was him getting that job. And one of the worst days of my life was him getting that job (New York Jets). And I’m, I don’t mean that in a bad way, but because, you know, you’re losing a little piece of you. That’s what he meant to me and to us. So that’s hard.“
“That being said, here’s a good story about AG…”
Their close relationship stems from decades of friendship, spanning from their playing days to their coaching careers.
Dan Campbell And Aaron Glenn’s Friendship Goes Back Decades
In his playing days, Dan Campbell played tight end, while Aaron Glenn was a cornerback. Even though they didn’t play college football together, with Glenn being four years older, they played for the same college, Texas A&M. Campbell started his college football journey two years after Glenn took his last college snap.
However, about a decade later, they ended up being teammates in the NFL. In 2005, the current Jets head coach signed for the Dallas Cowboys, where Campbell had been a part of since 2003. The duo shared the same locker room in the 2005 season until the former tight end became a free agent and signed with the Detroit Lions the following year.
Then they reunited yet again more than a decade later— but this time not as teammates, but as coaching staff. While Campbell joined the New Orleans Saints as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach, Glenn also became part of the Saints coaching staff the same year (2016), joining as the defensive backs coach.
Their coaching association continued after leaving the Saints for the Lions. With Campbell becoming the head coach, Glenn once again followed his trusted coaching partner, taking over as the defensive coordinator. After two playoff appearances, including in his final Lions season, the 54-year-old departed from Detroit, taking the role as head coach of the New York Jets.
Their friendship runs deep, but come Sunday, they will take the field as rivals, trying to get the upper hand going head-to-head.
Dan Campbell And Aaron Glenn Set Friendship Aside For Week 3 Clash
Early in the 2026 season, both the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets are sitting at the same spot. Both won their first game of the season, but lost their respective second games. So, the Week 3 game will be the chance to return to winning ways for both teams, as a tough battle awaits, which coach Campbell made clear.
“We are dear close friends, but we’re competing,” Campbell further added during the morning press conference. “He (Aaron Glenn) wants to win. We want to win. And until that game’s over, that’s the way the game is played. And because we’re competitors, and he is certainly a competitor. So that’s what it’s going to be.”
With the defense falling short in the past two games, all eyes will be on the Lions’ secondary this Sunday. As for the offense, they need to get going early in the game— an area they struggled with in the Week 2 clash against the Bills.
Lions HC Dan Campbell Makes Personal Admission on Ex-DC Aaron Glenn