There are plenty of reasons why the New York Jets have struggled over the last 15 seasons. Poor quarterback play, bad coaching, and awful roster decisions have contributed to those struggles.
The underlying problem, though, has been a flimsy culture that has been torn down through each of the last nine losing seasons.
It’s too early to tell if new head coach Aaron Glenn will magically turn around the franchise in the win column, but one thing has been made abundantly clear.
The Jets already have their entire roster buying into Glenn’s plan.
Jets Get Buy-In From Biggest Stars
Perhaps it is because of his role as a former player, scout, and assistant coach for some of the best head coaches in the sport. No matter the reason, it is obvious how quickly the Jets have gotten behind Glenn.
“The amount of guys that’s been here, the work they’ve put in, yesterday I think we had 100% participation,” Glenn said during OTAs on Wednesday. “I think today, I have to look at it, but today I wouldn’t be shocked if it was 100% again. These men want to win, these men want to work, and this coaching staff wants to do everything they can to give them the tools that they need to be successful.”
Despite what many analysts may think, New York is not devoid of talent. That is especially true on the defensive side of the ball, where the Jets have All-Pros at every level, including a star defensive tackle in Quinnen Williams.
Since arriving as the third overall pick in 2019, Williams has seen three head coaches, three general managers, and zero winning seasons. That kind of instability can frustrate any great player. In February, Williams publicly voiced his disapproval of the team’s decision to part with Aaron Rodgers, tweeting, “Another rebuild year for me, I guess.”
But Glenn has gotten the Jets’ superstar lineman to envision his plan to get New York back on track.
“I definitely think it was an immature thing for me to do at the moment, out of emotions, out of frustration. It was definitely immature,” Williams said about his post.
“Talking to [Glenn], talking to the staff and everybody else, just [got] me super, super excited, and super, super confident that we’re going in the right direction to win football games, and to do the things that I want to do, to change the whole narrative of the New York Jets’ losing streak and playoff streak.
“I was drafted here a long time ago. I was paid to help change this thing around. I wear that as a badge of honor and like a cape, to make sure that before I leave this game, the New York Jets are going to be on top. The New York Jets are going to be the football team to watch. I kind of live that every single day, and I want everybody around me to be that.”
The three-time Pro Bowler praised Glenn for helping him learn from the mistake and see the path forward.
“Back to that tweet, definitely it was an immature thing to do at the moment. I’ve grown from that, me and Aaron talked a lot about it. Me and the GM talked about it a lot. Me and the coaching staff, we’re all on the same page. I take full accountability on that, and definitely going in the right direction.”
Williams, who saw what it takes to win a championship at Alabama, knows the Jets are on the path to success if they stay on the course that Glenn has set for them.
“I just know right now, in the moment, it’s going in the right direction to win games by the standard that coach [Glenn] has set for us,” Williams said. “It’s a long way to the first game right now, but I feel the path that we are going is going to be successful if we just listen to him.”
Williams has openly voiced his frustrations with the team’s bout of losing before. He hasn’t been the only one, though. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, despite a strong statistical campaign in 2024, seemingly grew frustrated over the team’s losing.
Some reports even suggested the receiver could look to request a trade this offseason.
No such move has happened, though. Instead, Wilson gave the Jets a vote of confidence by saying, “I’m hopeful that I am a Jet for life.”
Wilson is the latest veteran to buy into the systems that Glenn has put in to help make things easier for the new coaching staff.
“He’s (Wilson) been here every day,” Glenn said. “So, when you have your best guys here every day and when you have your best guys working like that, man, that speaks for itself.”
Glenn has been the team’s head coach for just the last few months. To get full participation during voluntary workouts is an impressive and important first step for the organization moving forward.
It’s also fair to point out that the organization can talk about “buying in” all they want. It won’t mean a thing until they can turn around their win totals once and for all.
Glenn’s focus this offseason is certainly a start, though.
