The Detroit Lions have become one of the top teams in the NFL, and the reward for those on head coach Dan Campbell’s staff who made it happen is an opportunity to move up the coaching ladder.
One of the high-profile departures was defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who left Detroit to become the head coach of the New York Jets. But just five games into his tenure, he appears to be on the hot seat in the Big Apple, especially after comments made by SNY’s Connor Hughes after a 37-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon dropped the Jets to 0-5 on the season.
“He said this is ‘going to take some time, fellas.’ How much time are people supposed to wait?” Hughes asked. “Because at 0-5, the Jets would be the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs (after starting 0-5). That’s not going to happen. Anyone who’s watched this team play knows that, which means it’s going to be 15 years since this team last made the postseason. Fans are sick and tired of this. Understandably, players are frustrated, as evidenced by an empty locker room when the media finally got in (after the game). Is this going to turn around? I don’t know, because Glenn’s message clearly right now is falling on deaf ears.”
Ex-Lions DC Aaron Glenn Could Already Be One and Done with the Jets
The thought of Glenn already being on the hot seat is insane, but crazier things have happened to the New York Jets since they last made the postseason in 2010. Countless numbers of quarterback saviors and head coach geniuses have failed in New York since Rex Ryan last took them to the playoffs, and it would have been understandable if Glenn took the same path as Ben Johnson, who turned down the Washington Commanders after the 2023 season as he looked for the right fit and ultimately joined the Chicago Bears last January.
Still, Glenn agreed to lead the team that he played for over eight seasons from 1994 to 2001 and understood this was going to be a lengthy rebuild. But few expected the stretch to be this bad, which led to a lengthy list of dubious achievements noted by Hughes, including becoming the first team in NFL history to not have a turnover over five games and becoming the first coach in Jets history to start 0-5.
Things also reportedly reached a boiling point after last week’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, where Glenn berated his team to the point where it could be heard through the locker room walls at Hard Rock Stadium (h/t @ZackBlatt). The response saw the Jets fall down 20 points at halftime, commit 10 penalties for 61 yards, and miss 14 tackles.
The worst part of all this is that it feels like apathy has reached the players. Even if Glenn has come in with the best attitude possible, he entered a locker room that has been bogged down by the tail end of the Aaron Rodgers era and an owner who reportedly cites EA Madden ratings in making personnel decisions. These all seemed like red flags going in, but it was the job that Glenn chose.
The interesting part is where things go from here. Few expected the Jets to make the playoffs in Glenn’s first season, but the lows have been low enough that a change could be considered. If that happens, Glenn could be one-and-done in New York and perhaps looking for another opportunity to rejoin Campbell’s staff.