On Wednesday, the New York Jets hired Aaron Glenn as their new head coach.
Glenn started his NFL career as a cornerback with the Jets. After getting selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, he was on the team from 1994-2001 and became a three-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Jets’ All-Time Four Decade Team.
Now, he returns to the organization in hopes of ending their 14-season playoff drought. Let’s break down his journey to this point and what the Jets are getting in Glenn.
Why Was Aaron Glenn Such a Highly Coveted Candidate?
Over the course of Glenn’s 15-year NFL career, he appeared in 205 games and recorded 634 tackles, 41 interceptions, six touchdowns, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 163 passes defended. After his playing days ended, he made the transition to coaching, and he has been coaching NFL defenses for over a decade now.
Glenn was a defensive backs coach with the New Orleans Saints from 2016-20, but the Detroit Lions came knocking ahead of the 2021 season in desperate need of help. That season, their defense ranked either 31st or 32nd in red zone efficiency, points per drive, turnover rate, and average opponent drive distance. They lost six of seven games to close that 2020 season and were outscored 252-150 in the process (no other team allowed more than 237 points over that stretch).
They didn’t need help – at the end of that 5-11 campaign, they needed a culture rebrand, something the experienced Glenn brought and sustained during his time in the Motor City:
- 2020 (before Glenn took over): 2.95 points allowed per drive
- 2021: 2.52
- 2022: 2.28
- 2023: 2.03
- 2024: 1.91
He may not have youth on his side the way offensive coordinator Ben Johnson does (Johnson is 38 years old while Glenn is 52), but that didn’t lower his stock much in the eyes of NFL franchises. Glenn was a hot name in coaching searches during this hiring cycle.
It probably didn’t hurt that Dan Quinn (54 years old) just guided the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game after spending the previous three years as a defensive coordinator. You could argue that Glenn is even more appealing than Quinn was last offseason, considering Quinn had already been fired as a head coach (Atlanta Falcons, 2020).
Why Glenn Fits the Jets
Glenn took over a Lions defense that blitzed on just 24.8% of opponent dropbacks in 2020 (20th) and had them ranking sixth (31.4%) during his final three seasons in Motown. The aggressive strategy is not a surprise given his background, and he inherits a Jets team that is more than capable of rewarding this style of play calling.
2024: Pressure Rate Leaders When Blitzing
- Green Bay Packers: 49.5% (league average: 40.6%)
- New York Jets: 48.4%
- Indianapolis Colts: 46.2%
- Los Angeles Rams: 46.2%
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 45.9%
Who have been the most dangerous teams in the AFC over the past four seasons? The Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills all rank better than league average since 2021 in both pressure and sack rate when bringing in an extra defender, a model that Glenn could mirror given his tendencies and the defense he is inheriting.
The ability to make quarterbacks uncomfortable will be important in 2025 specifically, as the Jets have road games against Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, not to mention hosting a trio of young quarterbacks that ended the 2024 season in optimistic fashion (Bryce Young, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr.).
Why Glenn Might Not Fit the Jets
Glenn hasn’t been involved on the offensive side of the ball at any level and that is what has doomed the Jets for more than a decade.
Since 2014, Most Games Failing To Clear 21 Points Scored
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 114
- New York Jets: 113
- New York Giants: 111
- Chicago Bears: 109
- Cleveland Browns: 108
With Aaron Rodgers’ future up in the air and our latest 2025 NFL mock draft projecting the two elite quarterback prospects coming off the board before the Jets are on the clock, there’s no quick fix that is evident, especially with a defensive mind running the show.
In what shouldn’t be surprising, over the past five regular seasons, the two teams with the most games of scoring 21+ points are the two teams with the most playoff wins over that stretch (Kansas City and Buffalo). The ability to put points on the board is important across the NFL and that figures to be true in the AFC East specifically for years to come:
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has the Bills averaging 28.6 points per game since 2021, the highest mark in the NFL (league average: 22.4).
Miami Dolphins
In Tua Tagovailoa starts this season, the Miami Dolphins scored on 48.6% of their drives, a rate that, if extended for the entire regular season, would have trailed only the Lions (51.6%), Commanders (50%), and Bills (49.7%).
New England Patriots
Under Drake Maye, the Patriots scored 32.4% more points per drive and averaged 26.6% more yards per drive in Weeks 13-18 than they did through Week 12.
The other concern with Glenn is his inexperience — he has only been a defensive coordinator for four seasons. Although he’s been in the NFL since 2014, his highest position title prior to 2020 was a DB coach with the Saints. Moreover, he’s only been a part of three organizations as a coach: the Cleveland Browns (2014-15), Saints (2016-20), and Lions (2021-24).
In 2024, eight teams hired new head coaches. The Commanders (Dan Quinn), Los Angeles Chargers (Jim Harbaugh), and Falcons (Raheem Morris) all hired coaches who had previous head-coaching experience. Those teams combined for a .588 win percentage, with Washington and Los Angeles making the playoffs and Atlanta staying alive until Week 18.
The other five teams — the Patriots, Raiders, Titans, Panthers, and Seahawks — all hired coaches with no previous head-coaching experience. Those five combined for a .388 win percentage, with only the Seahawks finishing above .500. New England and Las Vegas already changed coaches, going one-and-done with their respective hires.
