Aaron Glenn‘s New York Jets coaching staff is nearing completion.
On Sunday, it was reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that New York is expected to hire Charles London as its next quarterbacks coach.
A former college running back for Duke, London spent the majority of his coaching career as a running backs coach through the 2020 season. He served as a running backs coach for Duke (2006), Penn State (2012-13), the Houston Texans (2014-17), and the Chicago Bears (2018-20). He was also an offensive quality control coach for the Bears (2007-09) and an offensive assistant for the Tennessee Titans (2011).
London landed his first role as a quarterbacks coach in 2021 with the Atlanta Falcons under first-year head coach Arthur Smith, who was familiar with London from one season together with the Titans in 2011. London spent two years as Atlanta’s quarterbacks coach before rejoining the Titans as their quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator in 2023 under head coach Mike Vrabel. He was then tabbed as Seattle’s quarterbacks coach under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.
The Jets have had trouble filling this role in recent years. Robert Saleh elected to make an ambitious hire for his initial staff, choosing Rob Calabrese as his quarterbacks coach in 2021. At the time, Calabrese was 31 years old with just two years of NFL coaching experience, coming as an offensive quality control coach in Denver. His only experience as a quarterbacks coach was for Wagner, an FCS program.
Obviously, it would be ridiculous to blame Calabrese for Zach Wilson’s struggles. Still, it’s safe to say that little development happened at the Jets’ quarterback position during Calabrese’s tenure. He was let go by New York after the 2023 season, landing with the Rams as an offensive assistant.
Following Calabrese’s exit, the Jets did not hire anyone with the “quarterbacks coach” title in 2024. Calabrese was preceded by Dowell Loggains (2019-20) and Jeremy Bates (2017-18; doubled as OC in 2018), who both failed to maximize the talents of Sam Darnold. Neither coach has worked in the NFL since parting ways with the Jets.
New York’s last somewhat successful quarterbacks coach was Kevin Patullo (2015-16), who helped Ryan Fitzpatrick have a breakout season in 2015 – although Fitzpatrick tanked in 2016. Patullo is currently the Philadelphia Eagles’ pass game coordinator and associate head coach.
Perhaps the Jets will find more success by going with a veteran coach. London brings an unorthodox background to the position, as he did not play quarterback and did not even coach the position until he was 46 years old. Nonetheless, his expertise on quarterback play is respected enough to land him a job with four different teams over the last four years.
The Jets’ quarterback of the future probably isn’t on their roster yet, but he will join the team soon enough, whether that’s in 2025 or 2026, at which point his development will become the most crucial factor in the franchise’s outlook. Thus, London is set to be a critical figure in the Jets’ future.