If Jets have any doubt about going with Aaron Glenn for 2026, now is the time to make a change
Jets coach Aaron Glenn speaks during a postseason news conference on Tuesday in Florham Park, N.J. Credit: Ed Murray
Aaron Glenn wrapped up his first season as head coach of the Jets with a news conference on Tuesday in which he talked about a lot of the same things he has been saying for the past year. He spoke about having a “plan” and a “vision” for the Jets. He mentioned his belief in general manager Darren Mougey, who was sitting next to him, and owner Woody Johnson, who was not. He talked about the fans needing to have faith, although he did not use his favorite metaphor regarding some mystical rope and everyone holding into it. And as far as quarterbacks go, he said that job would go to “the guy who gives us the best chance to win.”
This, all of this, as far as we can tell, is the Glenn Doctrine.
It’s who he is and who he wants to be as a head coach.
If the Jets are buying it despite any concrete examples of success, a clear regression in terms of talent and production from the roster, and one of the most indigestible final months of a season any team in NFL history has endured — and it seems as if they are — good for Glenn. He’ll get a second season at the helm to see if he can do what every coach for the last 60 or so seasons has attempted but failed to accomplish. Maybe he’ll even make some progress, threaten to snap that 15-season streak without a playoff appearance, and be back for a third season in 2027.
But if the Jets really are embracing Glenn’s philosophies as an organization, then the same rules should apply to Glenn himself.
Does he give them the best chance to win? Do they have the same belief and trust in Glenn that he says he has in everyone else?
Curious that we haven’t heard anyone overtly say that lately. Nor should they.
The coaching carousel that takes place each year at this time is only now beginning to spin and there could be some unexpected pieces that shake free from the ride in the coming days and even weeks.
Proven commodities may suddenly be on the open market looking for jobs. Already there is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year available in Kevin Stefanski. There was chatter that John Harbaugh could be headed for a divorce with the Ravens, a parting that became official on Tuesday. Even teams currently in the playoffs may be deciding that it’s time to part ways with their leaders if they are eliminated early enough. Would anyone be truly surprised if Mike Tomlin or Matt LaFleur loses their wild card game this weekend and by this time next week is looking for a new job?
Glenn survived Monday, the day after the regular season ended when coaches around the NFL are often fired. But that doesn’t mean the professional axe can’t fall on a Thursday or a Saturday or even next week.
The Jets need to keep an eye on all of that movement and constantly ask themselves if there are options better than Glenn available to them. At this point, after a three-win season, it can’t be too hard to find someone who is.
That’s not to say that the Jets should fire Glenn and dive into the interviewing pool. They should approach this decision just the way Mougey said he will approach free agency: “Aggressive but calculated.” They need to know they have a very good shot at landing one of the big names before they move on from Glenn. That’s what happened last year in New England when their three-win season ended in disappointment, Mike Vrabel was the slam dunk hire for the Patriots, and they fired Jerod Mayo as a one-and-done head coach. Now look where the Pats are.
Is there a Vrabel available in this cycle? There wasn’t until Tuesday evening when the Ravens fired Harbaugh and he instantly shot to the top of just about every short list in the league. The Giants with their vacancy are sure to pursue him, but the Jets cannot continue forward with Glenn before they at least explore the possibility of landing Harbaugh. There could be more options, too.
Glenn shouldn’t be surprised when the microscope through which he evaluates players and his staff is turned on him by his supervisors . . . of which there may not be many in the organization but there are some. The same thing happened to his mentor after his first season as an NFL head coach.
After Bill Parcells went 3-12-1 with the Giants in 1983 the team wanted to replace him with Howard Schnellenberger from the University of Miami. Had Schnellenberger agreed to take the job rather than tell the Giants that he wanted to wait one more year before considering it, Parcells would have been fired and replaced.
That turned out to be a lucky twist of fate for Parcells, the Giants, eventually the Jets, and even Glenn.
Maybe something similar will happen this time, too. Maybe something opposite.
The point is that if the Jets have any doubt about Glenn, any reservation regarding his abilities, now is the time to explore them. Now is the time to ask if there are better options.
Most of the work Glenn accomplished in 2025 was roster demolition and the remodeling hasn’t yet begun. The Jets are gutted down to their studs right now. They need to make sure Glenn is still who they want to oversee the rest of the process. Once that starts, and you are dealing with rookie quarterbacks and free agents brought in to match scheme and personality, changing courses will only be more difficult.
When Glenn lost his first game as head coach back in September to the Steelers he famously said: “You will not be on the field with this team if you are going to cause us to lose games.”
On Tuesday, Glenn reiterated what he said at the end of the last regular-season game: “I put a lot of it on me as far as wins and losses.”
The Jets owe it to themselves, to their fans, and even to the Glenn Doctrine itself, to make sure Glenn meets the same criteria he sets for the players. If he does not, they should find someone who does.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
