Jets Hire Aaron Glenn As Next Head Coach, Still Need GM & Quarterback

The New York Jets announced Wednesday that they hired Aaron Glenn to be their next head coach. Glenn has been the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator since 2021, working with Dan Campbell to turn the long-struggling team into a Super Bowl contender.

Glenn’s first staff assignment in the NFL was with the Jets as a personnel scout in 2012. He went on to coach defensive backs for the Browns and Saints before accepting the job in Detroit. He has been on New York’s radar for some time, and his strong connection to the team may have had something to do with his decision to decline an interview with the Patriots earlier this month.

With Glenn headed to the Jets and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson accepting the head coaching job for the Chicago Bears, Campbell and the Lions will have to restructure its staff on both sides of the ball ahead of next season. 

Detroit, coming off a loss to the Commanders in the NFC Divisional Round, still has plenty of weapons on offense and defensive standouts returning from injury. But building back up without both coordinators will be a tall task in 2025.

As for the Jets, who are turning to yet another defensive-minded head coach, the way forward is only slightly clearer now. New York is still without a general manager, and key players like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams have not given any clear direction in terms of a return yet. If Rodgers leaves, the goal will be to form a new front office and find a quarterback to lead the team’s young talent on offense. But Glenn, like Robert Saleh before him, can only do so much beyond staff decisions and defensive schemes.

There are countless directions New York can go in for a 2025 quarterback. Expectations are so low after last season that there’s virtually no pressure to speak of. Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Sam Darnold are all in play. The Jets can trade up for a draft pick if they see Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward as a sure thing. If they really want, they can wait until next year and ride things out with Tyrod Taylor. 

The point is that there isn’t a single option available to them that won’t require time to pay off. This should be to Glenn’s advantage, as he should have at least two seasons in a typically hostile media environment to build something new. That has proven difficult for past coaches going back decades, and owner Woody Johnson is cemented as a common denominator in those struggles. But Glenn has the background to be effective in seemingly dreary situations, giving him some sort of chance to succeed in this Sisyphean task.