There have been a few conflicting reports on Jets head coach Aaron Glenn‘s job security in the past two weeks. A couple of recent updates suggested Glenn’s on shaky ground. Conversely, another indicated he’ll return for a second season in 2026. That will indeed be the case, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. First-year general manager Darren Mougey is also safe, Breer adds.
Jets owner Woody Johnson installed the Mougey-Glenn power structure just under a year ago, hiring the coach before the GM in late January. Moving on from either or both after one season, albeit a dismal campaign in which the team has gone 3-13, would be a questionable look for the organization. That’s especially true with the Jets in the early stages of a full-scale rebuild.
New York took a shot at contending in 2024 with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The club instead sputtered to a 5-12 mark, leading to a regime change and the end of the disappointing Rodgers era. Rodgers and his friend, veteran wide receiver Davante Adams, were among those given their walking papers last offseason.
With Rodgers gone, the Jets took a two-year, $40MM gamble (with $30MM guaranteed) in free agency on former Bears and Steelers signal-caller Justin Fields. That will go down as a miss for Mougey, previously Denver’s assistant GM, and Glenn. The 26-year-old Fields, whom Glenn benched in November, is a surefire release candidate heading into the offseason.
Fields’ inability to nail down the job will put the Jets in the market for a quarterback yet again. Armed with two first-round picks, including the current third overall choice, the Jets could nab one of the draft’s top-ranked passers. That’s assuming they’re high enough on the prospects available.
Mougey acquired the second of his 2026 first-rounders (plus a 2027 first and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell) in a blockbuster trade with the Colts at the Nov. 4 deadline. Despite signing No. 1 cornerback Sauce Gardner to a four-year, $120.4MM extension in July, Mougey shipped him to Indianapolis just under four months later.
Standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams joined Gardner in exiting at the deadline. Mougey sent him to the Cowboys for a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 first and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
The Gardner and Williams deals may pay sizable dividends in the future. For now, the Jets are unquestionably in worse shape. Their defense has allowed between 29 and 48 points in four straight games (all losses). Glenn fired his first D-coordinator, Steve Wilks, on Dec. 15, though the unit hasn’t fared any better in two games under interim DC Chris Harris.
The Jets’ defensive woes don’t reflect well on Glenn, a former NFL cornerback (including with the Jets) who was Detroit’s D-coordinator before New York hired him. Identifying Wilks’ successor will rank among his most important offseason tasks. It’s possible Glenn will make other changes to his staff, Breer relays, though it’s unclear which assistants he could replace.
Although Glenn’s first go-around as a head coach has been a bumpy ride, it appears likely he’ll return for the second season of a five-year contract. Between the Jets’ haul of draft picks and a massive amount of spending room (approximately $91MM, per Over the Cap), he and Mougey will be in prime position to upgrade a hole-filled roster in the offseason.
Sure, why not?
They lived up to the standards of the franchise.
No NFL club should have to go through what the Jets have had this term:
Starting 0-7, with 5 of those losses by one score.
Getting their first win on the day club icon Nick Mangold died of kidney failure.
Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams traded at the deadline. Gardner would miss much of the Colts’ collapse via injury.
Kris Boyd, special teams player on injured reserve, shot and nearly killed outside a restaurant near Times Square.
The constant churn at quarterback.
A winless December having been smoked by a star QB each week — Tua, Trevor, Shough, Maye.
All carried out amid an endless sea of vilification in local and national sports media, echoed by dittoheads populating forums such as PFR.
There are NFL clubs that are worse run than the Jets, on a business level as well as a football level. Those clubs are hiding in plain sight.
“Star QB” and its Tua whos now the 3rd string and Shough whos a rookie lmao
Also your comment is a weird rant thats bowtied with some anti-jets conspiracy theory top it off. Get help bro
Actually, THIS NFL club should absolutely have to go through what the Jets have.
Woody Johnson’s company knew that there was asbestos in their baby powder and sold it anyway.
The New York Jets are basically Karma’s only win.
Portraying the Jets as victims of circumstance or as some kind of hard luck team is next-level delusion. They have not made the playoffs since 2010 and have hardly been competitive in that time. This is a completely inept franchise. It doesn’t make you a bad fan to admit that.
Have to keep them because at some point the head of your accounting dept. comes to you and says hey do you know you’re paying 4 GM’s and 5 HC’s this year? You might wanna put a lid on that.
Another factor in regards to dismissing Glenn? Seriously, is there a well-thought of coach out there who wants the job? Can the Jets do better by firing the guy? There’s a good chance that there will be many HC vacancies in a week’s time… Lotta competition for the good guys…
Jets could only get a talented coordinator if they guarantee enough money for him to work there. No QB, roster is devoid of talent and an owner that may fire you for losing in England. Who wants to bother with all that? I’d guess Glenn is just there for the pay raise. He hasn’t shown much as an HC (or DC really) and isn’t respected enough around the league to get top coordinator talent.
I mean… I wouldve taken talented coordinator Coen over Glenn last year. Im not even sure we attempted to interview him though. I would be totally fine with moving on from Glenn even if it means another first time HC, so long as their offensively minded and not another DC
I do disagree with Jets HC not being an attractive job, especially with all the cap space and draft capital theyve acquired. Someone who comes in can really build the team their way, they have all the ammo to do it. The offense is a couple pieces (although big pieces) away from being a very solid group. Another top WR talent to pair with GW, and an actual QB would go a long way for a team that has hit on TE with Taylor, RBs with Braelon and Breece (assuming they tag Breece), a very solid OL with both tackles still on R1 rookie deals. The foundation is there and they have more than enough to fill the gaps if they pick right and do well in FA.
Working for Woody has to be a scary proposition for any candidate though, i agree.
If they both got fired after year one I’d find it hard for any respected GM or coach to accept a position with them in the future. They came into a losing situation and it’s not going to be solved in a year or two.
There are plenty of examples around the league this season of teams that have flipped the script following an awful season last year. I have no doubt Glenn and Mougey will get a second chance. Before the late season string of blowouts, they were in almost every game. I expect them to try to bring back AVT and hope he can stay healthy for an extended run. Breece Hall will be tagged. I expect that they will make a play for either Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, assuming he declares.
I can’t recall any in which both were released after one year. Sprinkle in the Jets history and EA Sports playing Johnson family and it really makes one wonder if the severance package is worth the hit in reputation.
Raiders are all but certain to take one of the QBs first – I’m guessing Mendoza.
Gosh! for a second there I was really worried me might lose Rex Ryan as a talking head analyst 🙂
Zero (0) interceptions…in 16 games! How does a defensive-minded head coach, and former DB, lead a team to an NFL record ZERO interception season?! Perhaps Josh Allen will gift the Jets one in their final game. Lol
Nope, Allen will sit after a few snaps … Biscuit on the other hand …
A defensive minded head coach that cant even get the defense right. sounds very Jets like.
Just a total clown show.