The New York Jets have been in a state of flux ever since Aaron Rodgers came to the building. Personnel changes, both on and off the field, were rampant in the two years Rodgers spent with the team. However, with a disappointing 2024 campaign in the books, the Jets were out in search of a new head coach to provide some stability.
One of the names on their radar before ultimately hiring Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was Super Bowl champion and Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. While they chose to go a different route with their search, Rivera revealed how the process went by and the mindset New York has going forward.
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Rivera was a part of the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears squad that won the Super Bowl. After a nine-year career with the team, he would eventually become its quality control coach and then defensive coordinator, beginning a second career on the sidelines that lasted over 25 years.
After his last stint with the Washington Commanders came to an end in 2023, Rivera has been searching for a way back in. When New York’s search began, his name was immediately on the list of potential candidates. Appearing on Good Morning Football, Rivera revealed what the Jets demanded from their new head coach.
“Probably the first and foremost thing was leadership. ‘What type of leader are you? How are you going to lead this football team?’ I think that was one of the things they were looking for was a guy to step up in front of everybody and be that leader.”
He went ahead and explained how those demands lined up with the hiring of Glenn as the new coach, too. “Aaron I think is a terrific choice because of the legacy thing as well. He’s a big part of their history, he’s been part of the history, so he understands what it takes, the dynamics of what it takes to be a New York Jet.”
Coach Ron Rivera tells us what the Jets were looking for in their next Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/StgM6MLHlI
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 28, 2025
That legacy that Rivera alluded to speaks to Glenn’s time as a player in the NFL. He was drafted by the New York Jets with the 12th pick in the 1994 NFL Draft and spent eight seasons with the team. During that time, the corner racked up two Pro Bowl selections and was even an addition to the franchise’s All-Time Four Decade Team.
Already, Glenn’s demeanor and cadence when addressing the infamous New York media has made the rounds on social media. So, as a first litmus test, it looks like the former defensive coordinator has passed with flying colors.
“Secondly, I think one of the more important things also is a guy that’s going to be able to relate and get the players to buy in,” Rivera added. “He’s coming from a process that he’s gone through in Detroit and when they were very successful.
“He’s gonna point to that, use it as an example. So now what he’s probably going to do too is find a couple of guys from Detroit that he could pluck, put them on the Jets roster, and have those guys be able to step up and talk about who Aaron Glenn is as a coach, but more importantly, as a person and how he’s gonna relate to his team. And I think that’s going to be very, very important.”
With a ton of momentum and success behind him as a coordinator, Glenn is getting the benefit of the doubt. His first hurdle, the introductory press conference, was a rousing success. Rivera noted, “I think Aaron Glenn’s going to be very authentic. His first press conference: that was Aaron Glenn.”
He’ll be tasked with maintaining a defense that ranked 15th by PFN’s Defense+ metric while fixing an offense that hasn’t meaningfully improved with Rodgers under center.
Now, the next step is filling out his staff before turning that validation into success on the field.