Are you ready for Aaron Glenn 2.0?
The Jets coach did some soul searching after his first season on the job resulted in a 3-14 record with embarrassing results on both offense and defense. He made massive changes to his coaching staff, including replacing both coordinators. He is taking over defensive play-calling.
Glenn and GM Darren Mougey reshaped the roster, adding some proven veterans to a squad that was very young last year. Glenn also has showed a more thoughtful, less abrasive side of himself with the media.
Now, we get to see what the 2026 Jets look like. They report to training camp in Florham Park on Tuesday, with their first practice on Wednesday. We know this is a new team. We’ll find out if it is an improved one.
“I think we’ve made a ton of progress,” Glenn said this spring, “and I will go back from right after the season and me evaluating myself. The things that I want to get better at, the things that I want to do, the direction I want this team and organization to go in.
“But, between myself and the players, this is just not me, myself and the players, we want to get to the point that we love exactly where we’re at and we know that takes time. And we’ll see that happen as we get into training camp.”
The biggest on-field change is the return of Geno Smith as the team’s quarterback. The 2013 second-round pick returns after 10 years on other teams. He replaces Justin Fields, who was ineffective last year. As long as he stays healthy, Smith will be the fifth different opening day quarterback the Jets have had in six years — joining Fields, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold.
The 35-year-old Smith is well traveled and more seasoned than the player who spent two years as the Jets starter to begin his career. Glenn expressed the ultimate optimism in Smith this spring.
“I just feel like he’s the guy that’s going to lead us to the promised land,” Glenn said at the league meetings in March.
Fans will settle for competency. The team’s offense has been abysmal for a decade. But they have added talent and have an interesting core of skill players led by Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Those two are now complemented by Adonai Mitchell, Omar Cooper Jr. Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq. The team’s offensive line, spearheaded by tackles Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, looks like the strength of the team.
On defense, the makeover is just as drastic. A unit that allowed the most touchdowns and had the fewest interceptions — an NFL record zero — needed massive changes. Glenn and Mougey set out to add a veteran presence to the defense, and they brought in linebacker Demario Davis, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and defensive tackle David Onyemata to add leadership to the group.
Though the older veterans will be a key part of the defense, No. 2-overall draft pick David Bailey will be one of the storylines of summer. The Jets took him over Arvell Reese in April, and that decision will be scrutinized for years. That begins when the team puts on pads in camp then plays preseason games.
The players will get plenty of attention in camp, but there is no doubt who is under the most pressure this season. Glenn, who was a star player for the team, flopped in his first season as head coach. In March he was asked how often he thinks about turning around the franchise and ending the 15-year playoff drought.
“Every day,” Glenn said. “There’s a couple things I think about on a daily basis. I think about the players every day. I think about — I really, really think about this, this is not just coach speak — how do I utilize every player we have on this roster to help us be successful? What are the things I have to make sure [of to] get over that hump? Because I’ve been a part of it, and there’s no better feeling in the world than, we’re downtrodden for a number of years, and then we finally get over that hump and we’re moving. Then it’s: How do we keep that sustainable for years to come? I want to leave a legacy, I do. When I’m gone, I’m looking at this team being a team that consistently puts itself in a place to win.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
