Jets' Aaron Glenn: Compensation was key in trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams
Jets coach Aaron Glenn stands on the touchline before the start of a game between the Denver Broncos and the Jets on Oct. 12 in London. Credit: AP/Kin Cheung
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Glenn didn’t change the goal, but he changed the time frame for the Jets to achieve it - and gave himself a little more cushion to get them there.
“I want this to be a team that the fans are proud of, but I never said that they were going to be proud of them right now,” Glenn said Wednesday afternoon. “At some point, I want this to be a team that the fans are proud of, and I still stick with that. I'm not going to get into the patience and all that type of crap that you always hear. But I will tell you this: Our guys are working.
Before the season, Glenn said a successful year would be if the Jets were a team that made their fans proud. The Jets (1-7) are one of the NFL’s worst teams and on Tuesday moved further away from being one that makes their fans proud, at least on the field.
They traded away two of their marquee players and fan favorites, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, for draft capital that Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will use to rebuild the team.
Gardner fetched the Jets first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 from Indianapolis and, for Williams, a 2026 second-rounder and 2027 first from Dallas. The Jets are a worse team now, but they are stockpiling assets to one day change that. Not right now but at some point, as Glenn said.
“When guys call and they inquire, our job is to listen,” Glenn said. “This is one of those opportunities that we had two of our high-profile guys that we got pretty good compensation for.”
It’s somewhat of a shift in philosophy.
In the spring, when Glenn was asked about the possibility of signing Gardner and Garrett Wilson to extensions, he said, “I’m in the business of keeping good players. That’s our plan.” Less than four months after Gardner signed a four-year, $120.4 million extension, he was traded.
“If there's an opportunity that's going to help you as a team, you take it,” Glenn said.
That can be a tough sell to the players who remain with the Jets and are trying to make something out of this season. It’s a long shot, but seemingly more difficult without two of their best players.
Glenn said he addressed the team but didn’t “make too much of a deal about it because players know this is a league of change.” He said the players responded professionally and are focused on getting ready to play Cleveland on Sunday.
Still, the players were stunned and disappointed that Gardner and Williams were traded.
“Lost two really good players, two people I'm really good friends with, really close with,” running back Breece Hall said. “It sucks, but it's just the nature of the business.”
Defensive end Jermaine Johnson kept referencing what he posted on X on Tuesday, which read, “I’d be lying if I said I was happy my brothers are gone because I’m not, I’m sick.”
Hall and Johnson were among the players who also drew interest before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Glenn repeated his stance that he didn’t want to trade Hall, who said he didn’t request one.
The Jets also didn’t want to trade Gardner or Williams. It’s a safe bet that if they got deals that they couldn’t turn down for Hall or Johnson — like they did for Gardner and Williams — that the Jets would have moved them as well.
“This is a game of change,” Glenn said. “No matter what the situation is, man, we're going to look to do everything we can to improve our team. However we can do that, me and Mougey are going to talk about it, and we're going to make decisions to move forward . . . More than anything, we want to make sure we build this team in our vision, the way that we see it. We're going to continue to operate that way.”
Injury news
Garrett Wilson (knee) practiced on a limited basis for the first time since getting hurt Oct. 12 against Denver in London. Wilson, who missed the last two games, moved well running routes and catching passes during individual drills that were open to the media.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor practiced in full after sitting out the previous game with a knee injury.
Who’s QB1?
Glenn won’t announce his starting quarterback. When Justin Fields was asked if he is starting Sunday, he said, “We’ll see.”
Two-minute drill
The Jets signed undrafted rookie safety Dean Clark to the active roster and placed Andre Cisco on season-ending injured reserve.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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