Jets' Aaron Glenn should be back as coach, but . . .

Aaron Glenn’s introductory news conference nearly a year ago was a celebration, a former Jet returning home to turn around the downtrodden team.

Some of Glenn’s former teammates were in attendance when he delivered the line that made long-suffering Jets fans believe real change was coming.

“We’re the freaking New York Jets,” Glenn said. “We’re built for this [expletive].”

Sadly, that was the highlight of Glenn’s season. He won that news conference and not much since.

Glenn’s team is 3-13 heading into Sunday’s season finale in Buffalo. The Jets haven’t been competitive in the last four games, losing by an average of 26.8 points. It reflects poorly on Glenn, but it shouldn’t be that surprising.

The Jets traded their two best players, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, in November. They are starting undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook and other practice squad players. It’s about securing the best possible draft pick.

Currently slotted to draft third, the Jets could move up — after Sunday’s games or by trade — to grab the quarterback they want. Many will say that Glenn should not be trusted to pick the next quarterback after failing miserably with Justin Fields. A decision that big will be a collaborative one between Glenn, general manager Darren Mougey and his football people.

Glenn is expected to return next season. He’s owed more than $45 million over the next four years. It’s hard to see Woody Johnson admitting he might have been wrong and eating all that money to pay another coach who probably will want more to take over this team.

If Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh become available, Johnson has to see if they are interested. But they’ve coached stable, winning franchises for nearly 20 years. Why would they want to join a team that has missed the playoffs the last 15 seasons and doesn’t have a quarterback?

Unless Johnson has a change of heart, it will be Glenn’s show again. Glenn seemed to be defending himself this past week when he pointed to several areas that have improved under his watch. Other than special teams, there’s not a lot there. That unit is one of the best in the NFL, and  the Jets haven’t had any field goals blocked after three were last year. They’ve cut down on penalties.

But the Jets were huge underachievers on defense and could become the first team in NFL history with no interceptions in a season. The running game went from 31st last year to seventh, but their passing game was terrible. Glenn said those two areas will be “a huge point of emphasis” this offseason.

“If we can get those things changed, along with the improvements that we already have, I think that'll look very well for us,” Glenn said.

The defensive struggles are an indictment on Glenn, a former defensive back and defensive coordinator. He said he will do his own self-evaluation, look at how he’s managing games and figure out whether he’s bringing in the right players and coaches.

Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks with three games left. Expect more staff changes.

Tanner Engstrand showed some promise in his first season as an offensive coordinator. He could have utilized Breece Hall more. Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Cook and the offense would have benefited from more checkdowns to Hall or running back screens.

Quarterbacks coach Charles London is a former running back and running backs coach who became a QBs coach in 2021. The Jets could use someone more proven and put together a better structure overall to develop a young quarterback. That has to be a priority.

Glenn needs to make the necessary changes in himself and his staff to get the most out of the roster or he will be just another Jets coach who wasn’t "built for this [expletive]."

Folk’s future

Nick Folk said he wants to keep kicking, and his four kids back home in Dallas also want him to keep going. . But the 41-year-old will take time this offseason to discuss his options with his wife before committing to return to the NFL in 2026.

“We kind of sit down at the end of every season and talk about family stuff . . . and we try to make the best decision for our family that we can,” Folk told Newsday. “It’ll be no different this season.”

Folk’s game certainly isn’t sagging. He has converted 28 of 29 field-goal attempts this season, his second stint with the Jets. That includes a career best of 58 yards. 

“I think I can still play a little bit,” he said before adding:  “There is nothing like kicking footballs on a Sunday, I’ll tell you that much. It’s a lot of fun.”

It would make sense for the Jets to keep their special teams core together for as long as possible. Returner Isaiah Williams was voted the Jets’ MVP by his teammates and Austin McNamara has been one of the best punters in the league.

Brotherly love

Quincy Williams, who could play his final game with the team Sunday, said one major disappointment as a Jet was not winning with his brother Quinnen.

“We weren’t able to hold up the trophy together,” Quincy Williams told Newsday.

Quincy said he wouldn’t give the Jets “a family discount” or “brother discount” in free agency, given that Quinnen is now with Dallas. Quincy is a long shot to return. A name to watch is Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, who is close with Glenn.

Membou’s got jokes

Rookie right tackle Armand Membou doesn’t say much, but his offensive line mates say he can crack up the room.

“He legit don't say nothing unless it's a joke,” left guard John Simpson said. “The only thing that comes out of his mouth is some funny [expletive] every time, I promise you.”

Left tackle Olu Fashanu said Membou is “big on trolling” and “very funny and goofy” off the field. When it’s game time, Fashanu said, “It’s like a switch flips. He just turns into a dawg.”

When this was relayed to Membou, he became stone-faced. He put up a wall, as he has each week on the football field.

He finally conceded, “I joke from time to time. I was a little quieter at first, but once I got to know the guys more, I definitely opened up to them.”

Cook’s future is now

Cook will start the Jets’ finale.

“He gives us the best chance to win,” Glenn said.

That’s hard to justify. Cook has one touchdown pass and eight turnovers in four games. The Jets could have taken a look at practice squad quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Glenn is still evaluating Cook and hasn’t decided whether he will return next year as QB3, which is how he began this season.

“He still has another game left,” he said, “so we'll see what happens with this game, see how he operates.”

Roster moves

The Jets signed QB Hendon Hooker, DL Kingsley Jonathan and OL Kohl Levao to the active roster and placed TE Mason Taylor, RB Isaiah Davis and OL Xavier Newman on IR.

They also elevated RB Raheem Blackshear and DB Sam Womack for Sunday’s game.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.