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New York Jets 2025 NFL Season Preview

[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 NFL Preview Magazine. Order your copy today online or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

Aaron Glenn is bringing a simple mission to the New York Jets. “I’m a huge believer in just moving in silence,” he says.

After all the drama of the past two seasons with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Glenn has vowed to get back to basics as head coach Robert Saleh’s replacement. Glenn, hired just before new general manager Darren Mougey this offseason, wants to build a physical team with a run-focused offense while steering clear of big-splash additions like Rodgers.

In other words: Less talk, more action.

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Glenn decided to cut Rodgers following last year’s chaotic 5-12 season, hoping to turn down the volume as the Jets embrace a deliberate rebuild and let Glenn carry out his vision — just like they did with Bill Parcells during his mostly successful three seasons in the late 1990s.

Glenn, a Parcells disciple, inherits a team that has missed the playoffs for 14 straight seasons — the longest active drought in major North American professional sports. But as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator the past four years, he experienced a successful rebuild.

He knows how it’s done. Now comes the harder part — overhauling the Jets’ culture with his no-frills style and making this long-suffering team a winner.

Offense

The Jets decided to cut not just Rodgers but also his favorite target, wide receiver Davante Adams, as they move away from expensive veterans and try to mold younger players. So where does that leave their offense?

Well, new quarterback Justin Fields — who got just a two-year commitment in free agency — will provide dynamic running skills, though his passing ability remains questionable coming off last season’s benching in Pittsburgh.

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

That’s not the only reason this Jets offense probably won’t lean on explosiveness. Garrett Wilson is a superb receiver, but with Adams gone, there are no sure-thing options to draw coverage away from him. Other than Fields, the Jets made no major free-agent additions to their offense. Their top non-Wilson receivers are Allen Lazard, Tyler Johnson and Josh Reynolds — all of whom present more questions than answers in the passing game.

Still, that trio will battle to determine who is Fields’ second option behind Wilson. Ultimately, that could be tight end Mason Taylor, the team’s second-round pick who has a strong chance to replace the underwhelming Jeremy Ruckert atop the depth chart.

Meanwhile, Glenn is trying to build a powerful offensive line like the Lions have and win with a forceful rushing attack. He has a motivated running back in Breece Hall, who is entering a contract year following a frustrating season.

Hall wants to show Glenn that he doesn’t need a by-committee backfield — and that he can carry the load without significant help from second-year pros Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Hall must do a better job of fighting through contact than he did in 2024, when he averaged a career-low three yards post-hit.

Glenn likes what he has up front. But left tackle Olu Fashanu — last year’s 11th overall pick — has yet to prove he can be a long-term solution. The Jets’ interior line should not be a problem, as long as right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker stays healthy — something he has struggled to do. The line’s biggest question: Is Armand Membou, just drafted at No. 7 overall, ready to be a Day 1 starting right tackle? His pass-blocking reach remains a concern.

Defense

As questions linger about how exactly the Jets will score points, they will lean on their defense — and especially on their front, which is their best overall position group. The Jets’ defensive line, led by tackle Quinnen Williams, figures to set the tone for whatever success this team experiences by carrying out Glenn’s tough brand of football.

Beyond Williams, who has made the Pro Bowl the past three seasons, the two biggest keys are edge rushers Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV, first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, respectively. McDonald could get paid big money next offseason if he exceeds his 10.5-sack showing from last year. Johnson, a Pro Bowler in 2023, needs to show that he has regained his burst after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 2 last season.

Glenn and his seasoned coordinator, Steve Wilks, are sticking with the 4-3 scheme that Saleh used, even as the personnel changes. Gone is middle linebacker C.J. Mosley, a valuable leader, replaced by fifth-year pro Jamien Sherwood, who just re-signed with the Jets on a lucrative second contract. Will he possess Mosley’s demanding presence? On the field, though, Mosley had become a declining, injury-plagued player, so it made sense for the Jets to cut him this offseason. Sherwood is a legit, long-term solution at a critically important position. He is solid in coverage and great against the run.

Yet if the Jets are going to regain their status as an elite defense — one that is capable of carrying a grind-it-out offense — they will need No. 1 cornerback Sauce Gardner to return to the elite form he showed in his first two seasons, 2022 and ’23. The Jets finished second and first in Pro Football Focus’ defensive ratings those years — then dropped to 25th last year.

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner

Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Gardner struggled with inconsistent coverage and terrible tackling in 2024, after opening his career with back-to-back first-team All-Pro selections. If he can clean up those issues, he will cash in next offseason. He leads a secondary that’ll have Brandon Stephens and third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas battling for the corner spot vacated by D.J. Reed, who signed with the Lions.

Specialists

The Jets — who figure to be a low-scoring group — can’t afford for 37-year-old kicker Greg Zuerlein to struggle like he did last season, when he made 9-of-15 field goals while playing in only eight games. They need him to be a legit weapon.

The Jets cut veteran punter Thomas Morstead after the draft, leaving them with two punters who have never appeared in an NFL game — second-year pro Austin McNamara and undrafted rookie Kai Kroeger. It could become an issue as the Jets try to grind out field-position battles.

Xavier Gipson handled punt and kickoff returns the past two seasons but could face challengers this year.

Final Analysis

This probably won’t be the year the Jets break their playoff drought. But it could be the season their beaten-down fans look back on as the moment Glenn started turning the tide. He is trying to put his stamp on this team in his first head-coaching opportunity at age 53. He has roster flexibility because he didn’t make expensive, long-term commitments to free agents. He can use 2025 to assess and build for the future.

His biggest question is at quarterback, where he got a relatively affordable lottery ticket in Fields. If Fields fails, the Jets will draft a quarterback again in 2026. But if he somehow thrives, that would be a massively important foundational piece for Glenn’s rebuild.