Aaron

Glenn

Rapoport weaved the news into a segment where he explains that the Jets “next move” is to find a franchise quarterback by using the 2026 and 2027 NFL Draft picks haul that the team acquired before this season’s trade deadline. Rapoport indicates that a franchise quarterback could be found via the draft or by trading away picks. While Rapoport’s phrasing suggests the Jets plan to acquire a franchise quarterback this offseason, it is worth noting that the segment was backdropped by a graphic showing two first-round picks and two-round picks in 2026, plus three first-round picks and one second-round pick in 2027. Rapoport narrates by saying “Glenn is expected to be there” with GM Darren Mougey, “making those picks.” Given the Jets’ 2025 failures under Glenn, we assume the first-time head coach does not actually have guaranteed job security through 2027, though Rapoport’s phrasing leaves room for interpretation. Expect Glenn to get another shot in 2026 at the very least.

Welp. That’ll be one for the career obituary on Justin Fields. It seems clear that the Jets owner has not soured on Aaron Glenn and instead believes that the Fields play was simply a mistake. The Jets have not announced anything about who their quarterback will be this week, but ownership doesn’t usually just say something like this about a pass offense with a quarterback they intend to keep starting.

The NFLPA report card, which included responses from nearly 1,700 active NFL players, had Johnson as the only owner to get a failing grade. Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell, and Panthers owner David Tepper were the only owners to get a D on the NFLPA’s report card. Johnson received a B- grade in 2023. “Rather than addressing concerns, players believed that management responded to feedback by making conditions worse,” the report said about Johnson and the Jets higher ups. It’s hardly a surprise that Johnson would get such low marks after another failed season, his commitment to Aaron Rodgers, and reports that Johnson’s children had made roster decisions based on Madden ratings. Johnson, who reportedly took control over the Jets front office midway through the catastrophic 2024 season, would do well to step aside and let head head coach Aaron Glenn take charge of the organization.

The connection of Glenn to the Jets has been made for months and came into focus earlier this week when the team brought him into New York for an interview with the plan of hiring him on the spot. Glenn’s ties to the franchise run deep. The Jets drafted Glenn, a former cornerback, in the first round 30 years ago and he even spent time in the organization as a scout after his playing days were over. Glenn served as a DBs coach in New Orleans and followed Dan Campbell to Detroit in 2021, accepting the position of defensive coordinator. In 2024, Glenn led the Lions to top-10 ranks in EPA per play and total points allowed despite the team being bombarded by injuries on the defensive side of the ball. He now joins a Jets team with plenty of talent on defense including Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. The offensive side of the ball is the bigger issue, meaning Glenn’s choice of offensive coordinator will be crucial.

The Jets and Aaron Glenn have been flirting with each other through the coaching cycle and the Divisional Round elimination of Glenn’s Lions is speeding things up. He interviewed with the Jets on Tuesday and is expected to be named their head coach soon. Rosenblatt adds the Jets’ staff “has been operating as if it will get done” and the team is “informing candidates that they are going in another direction.” Glenn has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator since 2021, keeping the team afloat through major defensive injuries this season, prior to the playoff exit. The 52-year-old will be a first-time head coach, faced with rebuilding the Jets after a short-lived Aaron Rodgers era.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the Jets’ “goal is to keep him from leaving the building” and to sign him to a deal. Glenn is also in the running for the Saints and Jaguars head coaching jobs after four years as Detroit’s defensive coordinator. The Lions defense over the past two seasons has given up the league’s 12th lowest offensive success rate and the 11th lowest EPA per play. Glenn would face a total rebuild in New York after the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers experiment went belly up. Adding fuel to the fire is the idea that Commanders executive Lance Newmark, who worked with Glenn in Detroit before taking his current gig, will also be interviewing and in the building today.

Glenn’s meeting with the Saints on Wednesday may depend on whether or not he has a deal in place with the Jets before then. Glenn played one year with the Saints in 2008 but served as their defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020 before being hired as the Lions’ defensive coordinator in 2021. His ties to both the Saints and Jets (1994-2001) are part of what makes them the most likely to land the highly sought-after coordinator. Glenn will meet with the Jets on Tuesday, presumably giving them the first chance to make him an offer if they wish to do so. Like last year’s coaching cycle, Glenn appears to have multiple suitors this time around as well. There’s a good chance his days with the Lions are over, with the only question being where he’ll play next.

Glenn’s closest ties are to the Jets and Saints, but it was the Jets who selected them No. 12 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft. The fourth-year defensive coordinator will have an in-person interview with the Jets this time and could receive an offer at any moment. With other teams still lined up to speak with Glenn, there’s a chance he will have more interviews before deciding where he wants to start his head coaching career.

The Jaguars have interviewed eight head coach candidates thus far and the two Lions coordinators appear to hold the top two spots on the ownership’s wish list. While Glenn is considered a highly sought-after coach in his own right, it stands to reason that Johnson is the organization’s top choice.

“And probably land him,” Graziano adds. The Saints process seems to be less pronounced than the expansive Jets head coaching search, so a strong push from the Saints might land Glenn if he’s, indeed, their No. 1 choice. It’s also possible that this article has yet to fully account for the recent Mike McCarthy smoke, as McCarthy is not mentioned despite getting an interview lined up with the Saints for next week. Glenn should probably be regarded as a favorite in the Saints coaching search regardless of McCarthy’s interview.