Aaron Glenn Gears Up For Another Reunion in Week 4

Week 4 is another reunion game for New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Last week was the first time he faced off against his former boss: Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Now, Glenn and the Jets are preparing for another showdown against a former colleague, this time Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator when Glenn was calling plays on defense. Both led their groups to respectability as Detroit won more games from 2022 to 2024 than they ever had in that same stretch in team history.

Both coaches had a chance to speak out about their relationship with each other on Wednesday. And like last week against Campbell, Glenn was more than complimentary of his former coaching teammate.

"No similar than going against Dan (Campbell), because we put so much time in together of, when you have coordinators, offensive and defensive coordinator, you're really planning practice, the coordinators are," Glenn said. "You're really planning things you want to see against each other, so the communication between me and him was always outstanding."

Competitive fire highlights Jets' Week 4 showdown

Comparing the two head coaches seems almost unfair at this point. Johnson took over a Bears team that had a former top overall pick in Caleb Williams, and led the team to a playoff win in his first year. Glenn took over a rebuilding Jets squad without an answer at quarterback and hasn't posted a winning record beyond Week 3 yet.

But when both coaches got a chance to speak about the other, it was Johnson who was more complimentary of Glenn's performance so far.

"Tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach, as a former player, as a man," Johnson said. "He's doing a fantastic job as far as I'm concerned. You can see how he played the game as a player has translated to how he coaches, and his guys take that same identity as well."

Of course, it's easy for Johnson to respect Glenn as a coach. During their time together in Detroit, the two coaches would compete hard during practices. Detroit's high-powered offense went up against their respectable defense that took major strides over the years.

And in the end, it made the Lions one of the best rosters in the game.

"We were so competitive in move the ball situations on how we wanted to beat each other, but it made both of us better," Glenn said. "He's a damn good coach."

That competitive fire will be on full display on Sunday. For the Bears, they walk in as home favorites after trouncing the Philadelphia Eagles with their third-string quarterback. New York, meanwhile, is in desperate need of a win after falling to 1-2 on the year.

A win could also show Glenn is just as good as Johnson as a head coach, but wasn't given the players necessary to make an immediate impact as Johnson did. A loss could only further the gap between the two coaches in the court of public opinion.

It makes for another intense matchup in Week 4.

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