The Patriots stand as one of the most enticing head-coaching vacancies this offseason with the most cap space in the NFL next term and a promising young quarterback – but not everybody is rushing to join New England.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn shot down the Patriots’ request for an interview. To add insult to injury, the 52-year-old completed a sitdown with the AFC East rival Jets – the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft.

As one of the top candidates available in this year’s coaching cycle, Glenn has additionally scheduled interviews with the New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars.

On Tuesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell heaped praise on Glenn – highlighting his excellence both on and off the gridiron. “Aaron Glenn is – he’s as good a coach as you’re going to find, he’s an even better human being,” Campbell told reporters on Tuesday. “Look, if nobody wants him, I’ll take him again. I can tell you that right now. The thought of going through another cycle and he’s not somebody’s head coach is ridiculous.”

Three days before the Patriots were brutally rejected by Glenn, New England interviewed Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton – a move that swiftly drew the ire of many across the NFL. Speaking to the Boston Sports Journal, one league executive argued that the discussions with both prospective head coaches – neither of whom are tied to any other teams with openings – were “unserious” and simply an attempt to fulfill the Rooney Rule.

The request to speak with Glenn, meanwhile, was viewed by the exec as a “CYA (Cover your —) maneuver” after the Patriots received fierce backlash for allegedly circumnavigating the NFL’s regulation. The Rooney Rule is designed to “increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager, and executive positions.”

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Aaron Glenn rejected the Patriot's request to interview him for their vacant head coaching position

Aaron Glenn rejected the Patriot’s request to interview him for their vacant head coaching position ( 

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The sour taste left by Glenn’s dismissal was quickly softened by news that the Patriots completed a head coach interview with Mike Vrabel in Boston on Thursday. The 49-year-old is considered the odds-on favorite to replace Jerod Mayo, who was fired earlier in the week after finishing 4-13 in his first full season at the helm.

Speaking to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty recalled a conversation with Bill Belichick in which the NFL legend expressed confidence in Vrabel’s coaching abilities.

McCourty said: “I remember Coach Belichick was like, ‘I think he would be a pretty damn good coach. He’s enough of an —hole that he can go and be a head coach.’ That is the perfect fit of what New England’s probably looking for of a guy coming in that has some Belichick-kind-of ways about him. Not full Belichick, but has some of those things about him.

“I’m sure for the Krafts, [Vrabel] reminds them enough of Bill, but also has a side that they enjoy of moving maybe a little bit away from the personality of Bill into this new world… I would be very surprised if it’s not Mike Vrabel in there leading the Patriots organization going forward.”