The New York Jets have found their guy. And he’s very familiar with Gang Green.
The Jets agreed to terms with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to become their head coach, the team announced Wednesday.
“I’m excited to welcome Aaron Glenn home as the head coach of the New York Jets,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “Aaron earned this opportunity through almost three decades of NFL experience – ten 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.”
It will be a five-year deal for Glenn, keeping him under contract through the 2029 season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
It’s a homecoming for Glenn, who was drafted 12th overall by the Jets in 1994 and spent his first eight seasons with the organization before the Houston Texans selected him with the third pick of the 2002 expansion draft.
“This place is special for me,” Glenn said in a statement. “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,” Glenn said. “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.”
With the Chicago Bears tabbing Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach on Monday, it was clear the Jets were going to have to act fast on bringing in Glenn with four other vacancies around the league and him potentially taking the Saints job — where he played his final season in 2008 and was the defensive backs coach from 2016-20 — if he left One Jets Drive on Tuesday without a deal in place.
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Aaron Glenn is latest first-year head coach to lead NY Jets
Glenn becomes the seventh head coach by the Jets since 2000 and the sixth that becomes a first time head coach, joining the likes of Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles and Robert Saleh.
The lone exception was Adam Gase, who’d spent three seasons as the Dolphins head coach before posting a 9-23 record with Gang Green in his two seasons with the franchise from 2019-20.
Aaron Glenn’s coaching career
Following his retirement in 2010, the former Pro Bowl defensive back spent two years (2012-13) as a personnel scout with the Jets before he was hired for his first coaching gig in the NFL as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2014.
Glenn has played a major role in the Lions’ turnaround since he took over as defensive coordinator in 2021. Detroit was one of just seven teams in the NFL to allow fewer than 100 rushing yards per game (98.4 YPG) and surrendered just 20.4 points per game to opposing offenses in the regular season, the seventh-best mark this past season.
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This was an admirable job by the Texas native due to the countless injuries the Lions defense suffered throughout the 2024 season, including star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who was one of the league’s sack leaders with 7.5 sacks in only five games when he broke his left leg against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13.
What’s next for the NY Jets?
With their head coach now secured, the Jets’ focus turns to finding their next general manager, offensive coordinator and even potentially a defensive coordinator if Glenn surprisingly doesn’t end up filling that role.
As of the hiring of Glenn, the Jets were only one of two teams in the NFL (Las Vegas Raiders) still without all three of those positions filled.
