Jets get their guy, agree to terms with Aaron Glenn as head coach
NEW YORK -- The New York Jets have a new head coach -- and they got the guy they wanted all along.
Aaron Glenn, who just finished his fourth season as the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, agreed to terms on a multi-year deal to become the 22nd head coach of the team he played eight seasons with more than two decades ago, the team announced Wednesday night.
ESPN reported Glenn's contract will be for five years.
"I'm excited to welcome Aaron Glenn home as the head coach of the New York Jets," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. "Aaron earned this opportunity through almost three decades of NFL experience -- 10 with us as a player and a scout. He brings tremendous leadership skills and the vision this organization needs to be successful. I am thrilled to see him lead this team."
Glenn was the only candidate of the 16 the Jets targeted to get a second interview. He met with ownership on Tuesday at the team's headquarters in Florham Park, New Jersey, but left without signing a contract. However, confidence was reportedly high within the organization that the Jets would land him.
"This place is special for me," Glenn said. "From the time I was drafted and practiced on Long Island, to the time I came back as a scout in New Jersey, this organization has always felt like home. I'm thankful to Mr. Johnson for this opportunity. To our players, prepare to be coached with everything we have. That is our responsibility. I ask that we share the same vision and that's working towards winning a championship. To our fans, simply put, expect a winning team that you will be proud of."
Glenn was expected to interview with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday, but a freak snowstorm reportedly delayed his trip.
He never rescheduled it.
What to know about new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn
Glenn, 52, has described the Jets head coach opening as a "dream job," due in part to the fact that he was a standout player for them.
A former cornerback, Glenn, was selected 12th overall by the Jets in the 1994 draft out of Texas A&M. Of his 41 interceptions and 643 tackles during his 15-year NFL career, 24 and 392, respectively, were achieved with the Jets.
After working as a scout for the Jets in 2012 and 2013, Glenn got into coaching. He was the assistant defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and 2015 before serving five seasons as defensive backs coach with the Saints.
Glenn joined the Lions as defensive coordinator in 2021 and became an integral part of an organizational culture change. Over the last three seasons he was on staff, Detroit went 36-15 in the regular season and made the playoffs twice. In the four seasons prior to his arrival, the Lions went 23-40-1 and had no playoff appearances.
Detroit's defense during the 2024 regular season was seventh in points allowed per game, 20.1, and fifth in yards allowed against the run, 98.4, despite being decimated by injuries. The Lions, as the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, went into their 45-31 divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders on Saturday with 16 players on injured reserve, including star end Aidan Hutchinson, tackle Alim McNeill, two starting linebackers and three starting cornerbacks.
In addition to a tactician, Glenn is known as a leader, and isn't afraid to tell players how he really feels.
"Here's how I sum up leadership, it's really one word -- it's influence," Glenn said on Saturday. "And everyone I come in contact with, I want to influence them in some kind of positive way, and I don't take that for granted when it comes to players because that's my responsibility. It's almost the same as my children. I want to make sure everybody that I come in contact with -- that when they leave AG, they have something positive to say and it's not always going to be like that because I do get pissed off at people, too. But to me, that's what I want to impart on every player I come across, even the players that end up leaving here. I want to impart something positive into them so as they go about their way that I've taught them something that can make them a better person and a better player."
It remains to be seen who Glenn will tap as his coordinators with the Jets.
Jets GM search continues
The Jets also had their second interview with Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark on Tuesday, but his potential hiring is reportedly on hold. It is believed the Jets like Newmark due to his familiarity with Glenn. Before joining Washington's front office prior to the start of the 2024 season, Newmark worked for 26 years in the Detroit organization.
Despite that, the Jets will reportedly conduct second interviews with Denver Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey and Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown on Thursday.
Newmark, Mougey and Brown are believed to be at this point the only finalists for the position.
Whoever gets the job will likely be looking for the Jets' next franchise quarterback as early as this year's draft, regardless if 41-year-old future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers returns. The Jets currently have the seventh pick in the first round of what is not considered the deepest draft for quarterbacks.
A look back at the Jets' 2024 season
For a franchise that has known nothing but disappointment for well over a decade, the Jets suffered through one of their most frustrating seasons in 2024.
Even with Rodgers back and fully healthy following the Achilles tear that ended his season just four plays into the 2023 opener, the Jets finished 5-12 and missed the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, the longest current run of futility in the NFL.
Rodgers put up decent numbers by his lofty standards, throwing for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns, with only 11 interceptions, but the Jets' offense often struggled in the red zone, and their defense failed to live up to the hype.
All of it contributed to head coach Robert Saleh's ouster following a 2-3 start. GM Joe Douglas was relieved of his duties after the team's record fell to 3-8.
The Jets will have numerous roster spots to fill as many of their high-priced players on expiring contracts are not expected to return and others with term could be released as salary cap casualties. According to Overthecap.com, the Jets currently have a little less than $21 million in available space for 2025.
The biggest question moving forward will center on Rodgers, who has one year left on his contract. The Jets have not said if they want him back in 2025, and the four-time NFL MVP has hinted that retirement is a possibility.