ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Authenticity is in demand these days.

The Detroit Lions are, too.

So it only makes sense that this is the year Aaron Glenn, the Lions’ defensive coordinator, should finally land a head coaching job.

The 52-year-old Glenn is long overdue for an opportunity, and after interviewing for openings across the league in each of the last five offseasons, "The thought of going through another cycle and he’s not somebody’s head coach is ridiculous," Lions head coach Dan Campbell says.

He’s hardly alone with that sentiment in Allen Park, where Glenn’s fiery competitive streak, tough love and genuine character have made him a beloved authority figure. And now that the rest of the NFL has seen Glenn’s hard work pay off, it’s no surprise he’s finding a more receptive audience among owners and front-office decision-makers who now view the Lions — yes, the Lions — as a blueprint for success. That’ll happen when you take a franchise known for losing and turn it into a winner in relatively short order, going from 3-13-1 in 2021 to back-to-back NFC North titles and the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

Glenn’s transformation of the Lions’ defense since arriving as Campbell’s trusted right-hand man in 2021 is a bit harder to quantify. But as talking points go, here’s a simple one: Detroit ranked 31st and 30th in scoring defense those first two seasons with a stripped-down roster, but the Lions improved to 23rd last season and they finished seventh this season, despite losing a half-dozen starters and some key backups to long-term injuries.

Yet if you ask Glenn, he’ll tell you what he’s realized from all these interviews is that a sales pitch really isn’t necessary, so long as you’ve got the goods.

“The one thing that I get out of all these interviews is, man, I’m going to be myself,” Glenn said. “Either you’ll like it or you don’t. If you don’t, all good. I keep telling you guys: I have a great job here. And if you like it — if it’s an opportunity I think that’s best for me and my family — then we’ll take a look at it.”

By the looks of it, there likely will be a job that merits a longer look for Glenn in the coming weeks. He interviewed for five different head-coaching vacancies last week — Chicago, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, New Orleans and the New York Jets — and turned down a chance to meet with New England because "it just wasn’t the best situation for me." (That’s probably a polite way of saying everyone knew the Patriots’ opening was earmarked for Mike Vrabel, who was officially hired Sunday.)

Glenn may be the frontrunner in New Orleans, where he spent five seasons (2016-20) as an assistant along with Campbell on Sean Payton’s staff. And he’s also viewed as a strong candidate in New York, where the former Pro Bowl cornerback spent the first eight seasons of his playing career with the Jets.

His offensive counterpart in Detroit, Ben Johnson, also is in demand again this winter, interviewing with four teams thus far: Chicago, Jacksonville, Las Vegas and New England. And while three of those overlapped, neither coach felt the need to compare notes after the weekend. They’re too busy preparing for Saturday night’s playoff opener against Washington.

But Johnson did offer another endorsement for Glenn when asked Wednesday.

“I think I told you guys this last year, he is beyond qualified right now,” said Johnson, who may be at the top of the Raiders’ wish list this cycle. “You hear all of our players singing his praises right now, and that’s exactly what I would do. I would second that. He is more prepared to be a head coach than maybe anybody I’ve ever met. He wants that, and I think he’d do a phenomenal job in charge.”

Veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone, the captain of the Lions’ defense, knows Glenn well, having spent his first four NFL seasons with the Saints before following Campbell and Glenn to Detroit as a free agent in 2021. And like the rest of his teammates, he’s happy to help on the campaign trail.

“Obviously, he’s a hell of a coach, hell of a teacher, hell of a person,” Anzalone said. “And I say this a lot, but every leadership quality, and everything that Dan gets credit for here, I think A.G. has that in him as well. It’s just a matter of time to get the opportunity, and I think it’s gonna be this year. So I’m happy for him; I’m excited for him. I know he’s been wanting it.”

If he does finally get what he wants — and what he deserves, really — the obvious question is who he’ll want to take with him when he leaves to start building his own team. Presumably, Campbell is well aware of Glenn’s thinking there and has some succession plans in place, whether that’s an experienced voice from outside the organization or a familiar one internally. Someone like linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard, who’d be an obvious choice to move with Glenn if he landed the Saints job.

As Glenn noted recently, “(Sheppard) has been there from the beginning, and he knows exactly how I think — exactly. And that’s a guy that I’ve been actually mentoring to be in the DC role at some point. I think he’s damn near close, if not there, to be ready to do that.”

Johnson, likewise, has had plenty of time to think about which coaches from the Lions’ staff he’d like to bring with him wherever he goes. Offensive line coach Hank Fraley would make a lot of sense as Johnson’s offensive coordinator at his next stop. But those are conversations for another day, preferably after the Super Bowl.

“Those are things you always look at during the offseason, guys that you think that mesh well with you, that are compatible with how you think and how you want to operate,” Glenn said. “During the season, you really don’t even mess with it at all, because you’re so locked in to what you’re doing. And then once the interviews start, you start to come back to some of those things, some of those people that you talked to. You start to think about, ‘Is this a guy that I feel like I can win a Super Bowl with?’ I always look at it that way.”

Whichever way this goes, though, what’s clear is that the lesson both coordinators have learned in Detroit is that the best way to replicate the success they’ve achieved thus far in Detroit is to stay true to themselves.

“Everybody’s authentic and they’re not trying to be people that they’re not,” Johnson said, “ And I think that shows up — our players see it.”

They see it. They hear it. And most important, they buy it, because they know it comes from an honest broker.

“Listen, here’s how I sum up leadership,” Glenn said. “It’s really one word: It’s influence. And everybody that I come into contact with, I want to influence them in some positive way. I don’t take that for granted.”

But he will take that with him, if another franchise is smart enough to listen.

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