Despite team owner Robert Kraft claiming they would cast a wide net during their head coaching search, the New England Patriots actually interviewed only four people for the open position before hiring Mike Vrabel. There was a fifth target, but Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn declined the opportunity to meet with the team.

On Thursday, leading up to the Lions' postseason opener against the Washington Commanders, Glenn addressed the decision for the first time. Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Detroit, he clarified that he would hold no ill-will toward the Patriots for the interview setup.

"I've never felt anything against that organization," Glenn explained. "It just wasn't the best situation for me."

The Patriots put out an interview request for Glenn's offensive counterpart, Lions OC Ben Johnson, the day after firing previous head coach Jerod Mayo. They then brought in two candidates out of the league since 2022 -- Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich -- in an apparent effort to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule before also interviewing Vrabel.

The search at that point was shaping up to be a two-horse race between Johnson and Vrabel, with the latter considered the clear favorite for the job. The Patriots interviewing Glenn would likely not have changed the result of what ended up being a brief and narrow coaching search.

The Patriots announced Vrabel as the 16th head coach in franchise history three days after Glenn turned them down. The 52-year-old himself, meanwhile, remains in the running for five coaching vacancies.