The New York Jets showed more promise early in Aaron Glenn’s second season than they did during his first year as head coach. After defeating the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, New York had a 2–3 record. That was a notable improvement on 2025, when the Jets did not earn their first win until Halloween weekend, following an 0–7 start and a road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
But the early progress has since disappeared. The Jets have lost four straight games, including consecutive home defeats to the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders. New York is now 2–7, and the team’s performance has renewed questions about Glenn’s future.
At the time of writing, the Jets rank 22nd in passing yards per game and 20th in both rushing yards and points per game. Their defense is tied for 20th in points allowed per game. Glenn’s achievements as a player remain significant, but his 5–21 record as a head coach is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.
## A Long Playoff Drought Has Raised the Stakes
New York is enduring one of the longest playoff droughts in NFL history. The Jets have gone 15 seasons without a postseason appearance, and the drought is on course to reach 16 years. Since losing the 2011 AFC Championship Game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team has not returned to the playoffs.
The organization has also experienced considerable turnover at head coach. Since Rex Ryan was fired in 2014, the Jets have had four full-time head coaches, or five if interim coach Jeff Ulbrich’s 2024 tenure is included. From 2015 through 2025, those teams combined for a 59–122 record.
After Robert Saleh was fired during the 2024 season and Ulbrich was not retained, Glenn was hired to lead the rebuilding effort.
Glenn had earned widespread respect among Jets fans well before taking the job. Selected in the first round of the 1994 draft, he became a standout cornerback after playing at Texas A&M. His speed and ability to anticipate routes helped him record 41 interceptions over his career, including 24 during his eight seasons with the Jets. He made three Pro Bowls and spent 15 years in the NFL before moving into coaching.
His post-playing career began with a brief period as a scout, followed by 11 years as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions. Glenn became Detroit’s defensive coordinator in 2021 and held that position for three years before returning to New Jersey to take over as the Jets’ head coach in 2025.
The hiring generated enthusiasm. Supporters hoped Glenn, working alongside general manager Darren Mougey, could restore the team’s fortunes. So far, that turnaround has not arrived.
## The Results Have Not Matched the Expectations
When Glenn took over, many fans expected him to revive a Jets defense that had shown promise during the early years of Saleh’s tenure. His experience in Detroit also raised hopes that he could help make the offense more dynamic, including through the influence of offensive-minded coaches such as Ben Johnson.
Instead, Glenn’s first season ended with a 3–14 record. New York began 2025 with seven consecutive losses and finished tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the league’s worst record. The Jets struggled across numerous categories, ranking near the bottom in point and yardage differential, passing yards, passing touchdowns, net yards per pass attempt, takeaways, touchdowns allowed and interceptions. Only the Dallas Cowboys had a worse defense that season.
A first year in charge can involve a steep learning curve, and many fans were willing to give Glenn another opportunity in 2026. The Jets reshaped their coaching staff and added veteran players, along with three first-round picks, in an effort to improve. Frank Reich returned to the NFL as offensive coordinator, while veteran quarterback Geno Smith was expected to help revitalize the passing game. Second overall pick David Bailey was viewed as a potential cornerstone edge rusher, and Glenn was expected to lead improvements on defense.
Yet New York has again reached November in a difficult position. The Jets are 2–7 and have dropped four straight games. Some statistics have improved slightly, but the team continues to fall short of the wins needed to change the narrative around the season.
One particularly striking figure is the team’s interception total: through 26 games under Glenn, the Jets have recorded just one interception. Even as the results have worsened, Glenn has urged patience, saying the team is “on the cusp” and emphasizing that the players and coaches are working to correct the problems.
## A Challenging Schedule Awaits
The road ahead offers little room for error. At 2–7, the Jets are scheduled to face the Buffalo Bills, followed by road games against the Chargers and Dolphins. After a Week 13 bye, their remaining opponents are the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.
Only three of those eight games appear realistically winnable for New York. The Jets have often struggled to adjust during games, and concerns have emerged about the coordination of play-calling between Glenn and Reich. The offense has had difficulty producing points, while the defense has surrendered important gains in third-and-long situations. Even with a struggling Chargers team on the schedule, the Jets cannot assume that game will be an easy opportunity.
Despite the poor record, owner Woody Johnson appears willing to give Glenn more time to prove himself. The organization stood pat at the trade deadline rather than trading away players such as running back Breece Hall, edge rusher Will McDonald IV and cornerback Nahshon Wright, who has yet to play a snap this season.
That decision leaves the Jets with fewer opportunities to add draft capital and salary-cap flexibility ahead of a significant 2027 offseason. The team has three first-round picks available for that draft cycle, and its roster decisions could have lasting consequences. Retaining players may give Glenn a chance to improve the team’s record, but it also means the Jets passed on assets that could have supported a longer-term rebuild.
## Glenn Is Not the Only One Under Scrutiny
The remainder of the season will bring important questions about Glenn’s future. The organization will have to decide whether he has done enough to remain in charge or whether a new coach should take over and evaluate the roster.
But the review cannot stop with the head coach. Glenn is working with a roster assembled by Mougey, so the general manager’s decisions also deserve scrutiny. The Jets have three first-round selections and are projected to have the fourth-most salary-cap space in the league, giving the front office substantial resources to reshape the team.
The organization must also establish how decisions are made. Were first-round selections Bailey, Sadiq and Cooper primarily Mougey’s choices, or did Glenn have a major role in those decisions? And if Johnson’s preference to give Glenn another opportunity determines the outcome, what authority does the general manager have?
The Jets’ season has become a test of more than Glenn’s ability to win games. It is also a test of the organization’s leadership structure, its roster-building strategy and its plan to end a playoff drought that has stretched for more than a decade.
