After a spree of rumors, Aaron Glenn is signing up to lead the Jets. The parties have a deal in place, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. This will bring the former Jets first-round pick back to New York.
Bovada’s Josina Anderson reported earlier today Glenn had informed the Lions he would be leaving for New York, barring a snag. No snag ultimately took place, and Glenn will cancel his second Saints interview to take over as the next Jets HC. News developed Tuesday that Glenn had become the Jets’ favorite, and the team is believed to have offered a substantial deal to entice the former cornerback. This will be a five-year agreement, per Schefter.
Glenn, 52, spent the past four seasons leading Detroit’s defense and had been on the past three coaching carousels — despite the Lions not impressing statistically on that side of the ball until this season. Glenn managing to keep the Lions a top-10 defense this season, after Aidan Hutchinson‘s season-ending injury occurred in Week 6, burnished his HC credentials, and the Jets will be the team that commits to the veteran assistant.
Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell — a Jets Mark Sanchez backup in the early 2010s — has been linked as a potential OC option, while NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo pinpoints Steve Wilks as a “strong” DC candidate. Wilks had come up as a Jets option Tuesday, as the Glenn-to-New York buzz circulated, and resurfaced on the DC carousel earlier this month. Glenn has been linked to wanting an experienced DC option, which is interesting since that is his side of the ball, and Wilks would match that description. The former Panthers interim HC also led the Cardinals for a season and served as the defensive play-caller for the 49ers and Panthers as well.
The Jets chose Glenn 12th overall in 1994, Pete Carroll‘s lone season as their HC, and he stayed with the team for eight years. Glenn became a Pro Bowler with the Jets under Bill Parcells, helping their 1998 team reach the AFC championship game. The Jets later left Glenn exposed in the 2002 Texans expansion draft, where he was selected. After Glenn played eight more NFL seasons to stretch his career to 16 years, he returned as a Jets scout. More than a decade later, the team — despite having hired a defensive coach (Robert Saleh) in 2021 — will turn to him at a critical point. Parcells helped vouch for Glenn with the Jets’ Mike Tannenbaum-led search committee, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager notes.
Earlier this month, the Jets made a late push for Mike Vrabel. But the ex-Patriot chose an offer to return to New England. Glenn, who intercepted 24 passes with the Jets, now returns to the Big Apple to help a team likely to begin a transition. The Jets are expected to release Aaron Rodgers, though the future Hall of Famer is not 100% out the door just yet. That said, Rodgers is not committed to even playing in 2025. Meanwhile, Glenn will head up a Jets defense that still features some young talent. The longtime secondary coach will get to work on mentoring Sauce Gardner, while his OC hire will be vital as the Jets likely search for a young quarterback after several recent misses.
New York has not enjoyed a steady quarterback presence since Glenn’s playing tenure, when the team crafted a Vinny Testaverde-to-Chad Pennington baton pass. Several draft choices have missed, and the Rodgers trade backfired, with the 2024 team somehow winning fewer games with the ex-Packers legend than Saleh’s 2022 and ’23 squads did with Zach Wilson at the helm. Woody Johnson‘s decision to fire Saleh after five games also proved the wrong call, as interim leader Jeff Ulbrich — who has since left to become the Falcons’ DC — did not generate a boost.
This is Johnson’s first HC hire since Todd Bowles in 2015. The oft-criticized owner had been part of Donald Trump’s first presidential administration, as ambassador to the United Kingdom, when the Jets hired Adam Gase and then Saleh. Johnson bought the Jets during Glenn’s playing tenure, but his reputation has steadily worsened since — with some hits coming recently. Johnson has been accused of meddling on a regular basis, to the point Madden ratings and his sons’ involvement in decisions and presences in the locker room have come under fire. Glenn is not walking into the most stable situation, but his history with the organization probably played a significant role in him signing on.
Vrabel being turned off by Johnson’s presence came up during this search, and the Jets were not expected to receive an audience with Glenn colleague Ben Johnson. Ex-Glenn Lions coworker Lance Newmark, however, has been closely linked to coming over from Washington — where he has served as assistant GM over the past year — to lead the Jets’ front office. It would be Newmark who would be positioned to work more closely with Johnson compared to Glenn. That partnership did not end well for Joe Douglas, who lost respect for the owner and lobbed anonymous criticism his boss’ way as his tenure progressed.
These developments, along with the quarterback matter, may raise the degree of difficulty for Glenn. The Lions, however, completed this decade’s premier rebuild effort after climbing from 3-13-1 to the NFC championship game in a two-season span. Detroit followed that up with a 15-2 record this season. The Lions’ divisional-round loss allowed for Johnson (Bears) and Glenn to be hired this week, as opposed to the No. 1-seeded team’s top assistants potentially needing to wait until after Super Bowl LIX to be appointed — like the Eagles’ coordinator duo two years ago.
Glenn helped develop Hutchinson, and safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph made substantial leaps under the former secondary coach this season. This came after Glenn helped groom the likes of Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams in New Orleans.
The Lions, however, ranked 31st, 28th and 23rd defensively in Glenn’s first three seasons; their defense collapsed in a loss to the 49ers in last season’s NFC championship game. Glenn helped generate a rebound this year (seventh), and his defenses never finishing above 19th in yards allowed did not impede his candidacy.
As the Lions will need new coordinators and potentially some new position coaches, depending on who Johnson and Glenn take with them, the Saints lost one of their finalists. New Orleans still has Mike Kafka and Anthony Weaver second interviews scheduled. But Glenn came up in every HC-needy team’s search this offseason. He met with five teams, declining a Patriots interview as it became clear Vrabel was heading to Foxborough.
While the Saints refocus, the Jets have landed one of the bigger names available as they attempt to end what has become by far the NFL’s longest active playoff drought (14 seasons). The Lions will obtain two future third-round picks because of Glenn’s hire, due to the Rooney Rule.
Gonna suck to see him fired in 3-4 years
Two.
Even Saleh got more than two
LOL leave it to the Jets.
I’m sure this is going to work out very well!!!
he’s going to be great
Rinse in repeat in two years. Nothing changed on the ownership side…
Like I said yesterday, I don’t think there’s any coach hire that was suddenly going to fill me with optimism about the Jets’ situation, but this strikes me as a perfectly good one. Good coach, coming from a strong organization from scheme to culture. Not holding my breath for the team to turn everything around, but not mad at this choice and curious to watch how it goes.
The Jets had a good roster last year, and can bounce back in 2025 with AG’s leadership. Glen will change the culture.
Good hire. They need to get back to fundamentals
The countdown has officially begun to the first time the team loses and Jets fans start calling for his head.
The only people calling for his head would be the tabloids and talk radio.
Agreed. It will take at least 3 losses before the fans call for his head.
Poor guy. Gone by 2028. Only question is which dumpster fire organization’s new coach gets cut first – Glenn or Johnson?
I think it is pretty obvious that Johnson is going to a better situation. Certainly a better long term outlook at QB. In addition, while both owners appear to be clueless George at least doesn’t mettle or base decisions based on Maddon ratings.
But having Caleb Williams creates higher expectations. If Caleb doesn’t pan out, it could be a quick hook for the boy genius, Ben Johnson.
I mean yeah solely because the QB but like the commenter below said he has way more expectations now. The Bears are desperate to win and if Johnson doesn’t he’s cut. Both organizations completely suck. These guys are dead.
If he wants to come back, why would they release Rodgers? They literally have no other QB option since they stupidly passed in the draft last year.
Because he’s a 41-year old distraction magnet with declining play, a breaking down body, and stubbornness about running a modern offense that could help compensate for any of those things. Who would you have wanted them to take where last year?
I’m well aware of his problems, which is why I was certain two years ago trading for him was going to get everyone in the building fired, which is what happened. He’s also better than the alternatives for the immediate future. Again, they stupidly passed in the draft, so it’s slim pickings. What do you suggest, bringing back Darnold? Tanking for a year? Being delusional and thinking you can win without a QB like the Raiders this past year?
“Again, they stupidly passed in the draft.” OK, again I’ll ask: Who would you have wanted them to take where last year?
Are you serious about who they should have taken? The runner up for Rookie of the year was taken a couple of picks behind them, and they traded their pick to a team who picked a QB. Penix was a couple of picks up if they were working the phones. That’s kind of the GM’s job is to get the most important position on the team right long term.
OK, so you’re imagining that how Bo Nix played with Sean Payton would have just magically happened the same way on the Jets? This is also total hindsight. This team was built to take a shot with Rodgers. I’d love for them to have had a succession plan in place, but they also badly needed a plan at tackle, which they now have, and everyone at the time was wailing about what a reach Nix was in the top half of the first round. Zero chance the Jets would have ever done that.
Rodgers would be a cap casualty with a June 1 cut date. Jets currently have $20 million in cap room and almost $6 million dead money.
Lions going to be gathering some comp picks, will be even bigger if they lose their OL and DL coaches for coordinator positions
Got the feeling Jets are gonna run it back with Rodgers and try to stay in win now mode rather than rebuild going with a DC. Couldnt imagine Glenn would want to get rid of a HoF QB in favor of trying his luck getting the 3rd best QB in a weak draft class
Sounds good except Rogers will still think he’s the GM…
He’s a hof qb based on years ago. He’s not that good anymore. I saw him play multiple games, he’s just not that good anymore. Plus, he’s usually a negative distraction more than a plus benefit. Cut him loose and start with your own guy.
Who will the Jets hire after Glenn is fired? Let the debate begin.
Now go sign the best QB on the market – Sam Darnold!!! Wait…….
Aye Carumba! I thought Rex Ryan said he was the front runner and best choice. Is Glen really the guy who can perfect the “butt fumble”?
He is a good coach and I’m glad he is getting a chance but the J-E-T-S need to get a good offensive coach and either hope that Rodgers can have a decent season in 2025 or find an above average QB (Trade or Free Agent) and let Rodgers walk or find one in the draft or they will continue to S-U-C-K