Jets Firing Aaron Glenn Would Be Mistake After One Season

There's no way around it, the 2025 National Football League season hasn't gone as planned for the New York Jets.

After a 5-12 season in 2024, the Jets had a complete offseason overhaul. New York brought in Aaron Glenn to be the team's head coach after an extensive search. The Jets hired Darren Mougey to be the general manager of the future. And the Jets certainly shook up the roster, especially by letting veterans walk, including Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.

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It was a transformational offseason across the roster, but it hasn't improved the team's spot in the standings yet. The Jets are 3-11 with three games to go against the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills. The Jets are riding a two-game losing streak right now. Over those two games, the Jets allowed 82 total points. Clearly, the defense has been cold, and Glenn responded by firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks this week.

In the aftermath of the Wilks firing, Pro Football Focus' Mike Florio said he thinks this is a sign of things to come and that Aaron Glenn could be one-and-done with the team.

The Jets shouldn't move on from Aaron Glenn

Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA;New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stands on the sideline against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

"The New York Jets got splattered by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, 48-20," Florio said. "The Jets are still playing for pride and playing -- in some cases -- for employment. Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator for the Jets, former interim head coach of the Panthers, former defensive coordinator of the 49ers. He was head coach for one year with the Cardinals was fired by Aaron Glenn. The thing that strikes me as odd here, Aaron Glenn is a defensive head coach and he fired his defensive coordinator.

"There's something odd about that. If the defense is so bad that the coordinator should be fired, I think you're putting yourself a little too close to the flame. I still think there's a chance that it's going to be one-and-done for Aaron Glenn in New York. I think this move that he made is a manifestation of what he's feeling right now. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as he's three weeks away from possibly being one-and-done as the New York Jets' head coach."

This would be the wrong way to go. It would be more of the same. When Glenn was brought in, he spoke openly about trying to completely change the culture of the franchise as a whole. That takes time. Especially when you lose a superstar like Garrett Wilson for weeks due to injury and trade away guys like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

If the Jets were to fire Glenn, it would be a reactive move. In Glenn's first season as the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions in 2021, they went 3-13-1. The next season, the Lions -- who struggled for years -- went 9-8. In 2023, the Lions went 12-5 then went 15-2 in Glenn's final season as the team's defensive coordinator in 2024. It takes time to turn things around.

At least when the Lions went through their turnaround, they already had Jared Goff in place. The Jets have other pieces, but not the quarterback. The second the quarterback is in place, things will change. Glenn arguably has been a breath of fresh air this season. He has experience playing for this team and helping to turn a struggling franchise around. Moving on this offseason would be a mistake.

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