The New York Jets were again searching for a new head coach following the 2024 NFL season, and they found one in the familiar face of Aaron Glenn, a former Jets first-round draft pick. Glenn spent eight years of his playing career in New York and sounded ready to put on his pads at his introductory press conference.
Aaron Glenn Tells Current Jets To ‘Put Your Seatbelts On’
There’s been a long-running joke that the Jets are more focused on winning the offseason than when it actually matters, but Glenn, New York’s new head coach, isn’t interested in outside noise.
New #Jets HC Aaron Glenn is bringing the energy: “Put your seatbelts on and get ready for the ride…. We’re the freaking New York Jets and we’re built for this sh*t."pic.twitter.com/RmMo1c02r3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 27, 2025
At his introductory press conference, Glenn had a simple message for current Jets players. “Players that’s here now, put your seatbelts on and get ready for the ride.”
Glenn continued by recognizing that there will be bumps in the road for a team battling back from a 5-12 record, “Listen, there are gonna be some challenges, but with challenges begets opportunity.”
The Jets finished the season ranked 15th in PFN’s Defense+ rankings with a grade of 75.4 (C). After ranking as a top-five unit in each of the previous two seasons, the Jets regressed significantly after firing Robert Saleh. Under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, New York’s defense posted four of its five worst grades of the season from Weeks 14-17.
This was a frustrating downturn for a unit that became a juggernaut. However, the Jets’ defense still has plenty of talent in the likes of Quinnen Williams, Will McDonald IV, Jermaine Johnson, and Sauce Gardner.
Glenn and his staff will try to return this unit to top-10 form in a less dysfunctional environment, and the new head coach let everyone know they have the tools to do it.
“But here’s what I do know. We’re the freaking New York Jets and we’re built for this s***.”
New York’s new head coach was the architect of the Detroit Lions defense, which finished the season ranked fifth in PFN’s Defense+ rankings with an 81.2 grade (B-).
Injuries eventually caught up to Detroit in the Divisional Round, but Glenn’s unit leaned into an aggressive identity regardless of the available personnel. For three months, the Lions were a top-five defense, even without All-Pro edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson after Week 6, so Glenn knows how to get the most out of his guys.
He was a hot name in the coaching candidate pool, but there was one job Glenn wanted, and he made that emphatically clear.
“Listen, I want this job. I interviewed for a number of them, but I wanted this job.”
Jet fans are hoping they finally got the right guy for the job.