Matt Johnson
The New York Jets went 3-13 this past season under first-year head coach Aaron Glenn and became the first team in NFL history to not record an interception in a full season. While Glenn was kept around, some around the league are already questioning if Glenn had any positive impact at all.
Speaking to ESPN‘s Rich Cimini, one former NFL general manager said that Glenn “did nothing” to improve the Jets culture in his first year on the job. What the executive did see is a team who just seemed to be going through the emotions with no interest in playing for the franchise.
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“He did nothing with the culture. He talked about swagger and toughness, but I didn’t see any of that. They played like a bunch of guys punching time clocks; they didn’t want to be there.”
Former NFL GM on New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn
In defense of the former general manager, New York had a worse point differential this season (minus-203) than it did in the previous three seasons combined (minus-173) under Robert Saleh. The club seemed to be turning a corner midway through the season when it posted a 3-2 record from Weeks 8-13. After that, the wheels fell off.
New York ended the season on a five-game losing streak, getting outscored by 134 points and allowing opponents to average a 131.6 passer rating with a 70.6% completion rate and 37.6 points per game. Meanwhile, the Jets’ offense averaged just 10.8 points and 223 total yards per game, with an abysmal 3.75 yards per play.
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However, some context is also required. The Jets front office went all in on the rebuild at the NFL trade deadline, shipping off Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. Those moves, paired with the decision to start Brady Cook in the last four games, effectively sent a message to the locker room that the team was tanking.
This isn’t to defend Glenn’s overall performance as a first-year head coach, the club seemed to quit late in the season and performed like one of the worst teams in NFL history. However, a no-win situation was also created by an organization that has a long-standing history of putting its players and coaches in positions to fail.
Glenn will get his second chance in 2026, with a pair of first-round picks and plenty of cap space available to rebuild this defense. Plus, if New York can find a reliable bridge starter at quarterback, the team as a whole could improve next season.
