Confidence Meter: How Close Are Jets to Firing Aaron Glenn After the Trade Deadline?

Disappointing, frustrating, and embarrassing.

Those are just a few words to describe the Jets’ 2026 season. With New York on the verge of missing the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season, head coach Aaron Glenn’s job security has been the main topic of discussion.

While it’s unlikely Glenn remains with the team beyond its regular season finale on Jan. 10, would Gang Green be willing to pull the plug on him before then?

Even though there’s little belief that Glenn will be able to turn things around, there’s practically no chance he'll be fired mid-season

Aaron Glenn has shown little improvement in Year 2

After an historically bad 2025 season, Glenn entered Year 2 with one goal: improving. However, the Jets haven’t made much progress, as many of last year's issues persist.

New York has the same record through nine games this year as it did last year. The team continues to struggle with poor execution, questionable coaching decisions, and an inability to make proper in-game adjustments.

One embarrassing stat line that keeps popping up is their performance in the final two minutes of the first half, where they’ve been outscored 107-9 in Glenn’s tenure.

While Geno Smith has been night-and-day better than Justin Fields, the offense hasn’t significantly improved, averaging 20.2 points per game compared to 17.6 last year. Additionally, they continue to struggle in the red zone, ranking 31st in red-zone scoring rate (40.7%). Whether it’s play-calling or poor execution, the offense has consistently found ways to hold itself back.

Defensively, the Jets haven’t been any better. Despite calling play-calling his “superpower”, the unit hasn’t improved under Glenn's watch. While New York ranks fourth in passing yards allowed per game (197.8), it’s surrendered 16 passing touchdowns this season and has only one interception during Glenn’s tenure.

However, their run defense has been the most glaring weakness. Despite overhauling the defensive line during the offseason, the Jets still struggle to stop opposing rushing attacks, ranking 26th in rushing yards allowed per game (128).

These are the type of growing pains you expect from a first-year head coach, not someone in their second season. Ultimately, Gang Green hasn’t done what Glenn set out to do.

New York Jets coach, Aaron Glenn suffered another loss, this time to the previously winless, Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at East Rutherford. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Woody Johnson likely isn’t ready to pull the plug on Glenn mid-season

Even though the team has shown minimal improvement under Glenn, we shouldn’t expect New York to fire him mid-season.

Since Woody Johnson took over as owner in 2000, he’s fired seven coaches. The only coach he fired during the season was Robert Saleh, who was hired by his brother, Christopher Johnson, while he served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

With Glenn being Johnson’s pick for head coach, isn't likely to fire him before the season ends. This was evident during the trade deadline, as the Jets didn’t trade any key players despite Will McDonald IV requesting a trade and Breece Hall being involved in trade rumors.

By standing pat, it shows Glenn has the support and backing that he can turn things around in the final eight games.

What Glenn must do to secure his future with the Jets

Glenn may have backing from ownership to finish out the season, but there’s only one way he can convince them he deserves another year, and that’s by winning games.

Since Glenn took over in 2025, New York has posted a 5-21 record, including 0-8 against the AFC East, and is trending towards missing the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season.

You could make a strong argument that the Jets should be 4-5 or 5-4 this season, but they’ve been unable to win tight contests. According to Next Gen Stats, New York is 1-5 in close games.

Some of those games they should’ve won were against the Packers in Week 2, where they had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter; Week 7 against the Dolphins, where they failed to execute in the red zone; and Week 8 against the Raiders, where they scored on their first six possessions only to surrender 24 second-half points.

New York doesn’t need to miraculously win its remaining games for Glenn to stay a third year. However, the Jets have to beat the bad teams and pick up some division wins to give him a realistic chance of keeping his job.

Looking at their remaining games, there’s no excuse not to beat the Chargers, Dolphins, and Cardinals. Add in a win against the Bills and Patriots, and it would go a long way toward persuading Johnson to give Glenn another season.

Otherwise, we should expect Johnson and company to begin another head coaching search in 2027.

Confidence meter: 8/10

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