As a Jets cornerback for the first eight seasons of his 15-year NFL career, Aaron Glenn intercepted 24 passes and earned two Pro Bowl trips from 1994-2001. Glenn is now considered one of the greatest corners in Jets history. On the other hand, Glenn is light years from being considered one of the greatest head coaches in Jets history.
In the wake of an unsuccessful foray into the Mike Vrabel derby in January 2025, the Jets turned back to Glenn 24 years after he last donned their colors. Glenn was coming off a well-regarded run as the Lions' defensive coordinator from 2021-24, but Year 1 as a head coach could not have gone much worse.
The Jets went 3-14 to extend their league-high playoff drought to 15 years. Their minus-203 point differential ranks as the second-worst mark since the league introduced a 17-game schedule in 2021. Gang Green's noncompetitive showing was still not enough to secure the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. The Jets finished as runners-up to the Raiders in the race to the bottom, severely jeopardizing their chances of finding a much-needed franchise quarterback this spring.
Owner Woody Johnson hired Glenn three days before he tabbed longtime Broncos executive Darren Mougey as his general manager. Looking for a starting signal-caller in their first offseason together, Glenn and Mougey added former first-rounder Justin Fields on a two-year, $40MM contract with $30MM guaranteed. The mobile Fields, who did not establish himself as the answer in either Pittsburgh or Chicago, flopped in New York. Glenn pulled him for backup Tyrod Taylor in a 13-6 loss to the Panthers in Week 7. A day after the Jets fell to 0-7, Johnson publicly lambasted Fields while calling Glenn "the real deal."
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