Aaron Glenn is hoping to bring the Jets to Gang Green-er pastures.
The Jets have reportedly hired Glenn as their next head coach on Wednesday, replacing Robert Saleh (and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich). The now-former Lions defensive coordinator has risen the ranks from scout to coordinator and now gets his first shot at head coaching.
There may be no tougher position than the one Glenn will find himself in. The Jets are coming off a dreadful 5-12 season mired with organizational turmoil. Yeah, yeah: What else is new?
You mix that with a huge question mark in Aaron Rodgers’ future and the NFL’s longest playoff drought and it’s a recipe for pain.
Oh, and the last and only Lombardi trophy in the case came before Joe Namath was modeling pantyhose and yukking it up with Farrah Fawcett.
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While all of that isn’t necessarily new waters for Gang Green, they can be choppy for a new head coach. Enter Glenn, who will aim to answer New York’s long-standing question at head coach.
So, who comes out on top as big winners and losers for this hiring? USA TODAY Sports takes a look:
Winners
New York Jets…
Let’s start with the obvious. While the Jets have a tendency of stepping on rakes, hiring head coaches has seldom been a problem during the Woody Johnson era.
New York has routinely hired the top candidates during their coaching searches (save Adam Gase), even though hindsight shows more failures than successes: Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles and Robert Saleh were all highly respected and well-credentialed head-coaching candidates, but none were able to overcome ‘Same Old Jets’ syndrome.
Landing Glenn, a highly respected coach, leader and former Jet is a massive win for the Jets in their efforts to try and shake free of the disappointment of the Robert Saleh-Joe Douglas regime.
….But specifically, the Jets defense
Social media isn’t real, but it may offer some insight to the truth.
On the Jets’ official Instagram post after the interview announcement of Aaron Glenn, Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams responded with a simple, two-emoji response: A couple of crossed fingers.
The Jets defense, which took a massive step back after the firing of Robert Saleh this season, still has plenty of talent to compete. With young and veteran stars at key positions, Glenn and his defensive staff will be entrusted to squeeze the most out of this group and rebound to its pre-2024 successes.
That shouldn’t be a difficult ask, especially when you consider the work that Glenn did with an undermanned unit in Detroit this past season.
Aaron Glenn
Glenn is another obvious winner in this situation, even if he is landing with a Jets organization is currently messier than a Target aisle on Black Friday.
Glenn has reportedly considered the Jets a ‘dream job,’ and gets his opportunity in 2025 after interviewing with the organization in 2021. Ultimately, the team hired top candidate Robert Saleh, and it didn’t work out for a myriad of reasons.
While he’s a Humble, Texas native, getting an opportunity to walk the hallways of the Jets facility will be something of a homecoming for Glenn. The 1994 Jets first-round pick made his bones as player in New York before spending to with the Texans, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints. New York gave him his first NFL front office job as a scout in 2012.
Glenn likely understands the market, the expectations and the pressures of the gig. Whether or not that means he’ll succeed remains to be seen, but it’s clear he knows what he’s getting into.
The NFC North
The NFC North has to be celebrating the departure of Glenn from the division. Even with the insane amounts of injuries on defense this year, Detroit was still competitive with the pieces they had until their playoff elimination.
While Dan Campbell has proven to be more than a capable head coach, replacing coordinators is never a guarantee of success. Campbell’s staff-building chops will be put to the test with the next hires for the Lions.
Losers
Detroit Lions
A 15-2 Lions season ended with not one, but three big losses: The one to the Commanders in the divisional round and the losses of both Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
As mentioned, rebuilding a staff is never an easy task, doubly so when you lose two key coordinators in one offseason. The Lions are still plenty talented and will likely be at or near the top of the NFC North in 2025, but continuity is key in the NFL.
Unless the next defensive coordinator proves himself to be a capable Glenn replacement, the Lions are in a tough position. Having to turn the keys over to two new guys, even if familiar, puts them in a very tenuous spot.
Aaron Rodgers
While Rodgers’ plan for the future has yet to emerge from the darkness, the Jets passer potentially learning a new offense and playing for another head coach as his career nears its end can’t be overly enticing for the passer.
It’s unclear what Glenn’s (or the Jets’ new GM’s) plan is for Rodgers, but it’s hard to paint Rodgers as a winner here for anything other than uncertainty.
Now 41, Rodgers has made it clear that he plans to take some time to think about his future this offseason. Whether that’s in Florham Park in September or a jungle in Peru remains to be seen.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints were considered one of the worst available jobs this hiring cycle, and despite strong ties to Glenn, they couldn’t close the deal.
New Orleans is left holding the bag with the top of the coaching market drying up. They may still come out of their coaching search a winner if they land Mike McCarthy, but any time an organization misses out on a top coaching target, it’s a loss.
Any head coach who takes this job will have his work cut out for him. The Saints are in proverbial cap hell with roster questions and an incumbent quarterback that might steer some candidates away.
Rex Ryan
Arguably the biggest loser in Glenn’s hiring is Rex Ryan.
Ryan spent the better part of the last five months campaigning for office in front of a camera on ESPN, which eventually led to an interview with the Jets a few weeks ago.
Ryan’s interview awakened a certain sect of fans who viewed his tenure in Florham Park through rose-colored beer goggles. The Jets placating Ryan with an interview feels a bit like having lunch with an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend: You talk about the good times, you reminisce over the first date, but sooner or later, you realize why you got home one day and found all of your clothes in trash bags on the street outside your apartment.
Ryan did help guide the Jets to two straight AFC championship games, but what followed was four seasons of winning – kind of. Instead, Ryan and the Jets won New York tabloid back pages for all the wrong reasons. He got a second chance at NFL head coaching with the Bills, but missed out on playoffs both seasons he was at the helm.
The courtesy interview should be enough to keep Ryan happy.
…Well, until the A-block of ‘First Take’ following the first Jets loss in 2025.
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