Jets’ Aaron Glenn walks back ‘win now’ offseason comments

When Aaron Glenn first stepped up to the podium in Florham Park, the new head coach of the New York Jets wanted to limit expectations for his new team.

By the time the organization got to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, things had certainly changed.

Glenn commented in Indianapolis that the Jets would compete to try and “win now” in 2025. This signified that the new coaching staff believed the team wasn’t far off.

“Every decision that me and [Darren] Mougey make is to win, and win now,” Glenn said.

Since then, the 2025 season has been a humbling experience for Glenn.

New York stands at 0-5 after a blowout 37-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. For all the strong vibes Glenn seemingly brought to the team in the offseason, he is the first coach in Jets history to go winless in his first five games with the franchise.

That left Glenn speaking a different tune following Sunday’s loss.

Jets humbled after 0-5 start

Speaking to reporters on Monday before the team traveled to London for a showdown overseas against the Denver Broncos, Glenn defended his previous comments made during the offseason — for better or worse.

“What coach is not here to win now?” Glenn questioned. “Every coach is here to win now. We’re 0-5 and we own that, but I do know this, that’s not going to stop us from doing everything we can to win. So, absolutely, we are here to win now like every other coach is.”

Glenn later clarified that his “win now” comments didn’t mean what some people thought.

“What you didn’t say is what I said, ‘I’m not thinking about the Super Bowl, I’m not thinking about playoffs, I’m thinking about building a foundation,'” Glenn stated. “That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

In fairness to the Jets’ head coach, he is correct. He always spoke this offseason about wanting to win now by building the team’s foundation each day.

Fans, though, didn’t take his comments that way.

For a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs in 14 years, Glenn’s offseason comments were seen as a lightning rod for the fanbase. The fact that the Jets are 0-5 is just a sign to some that the coach isn’t up to the task.

But Glenn isn’t responsible for the team’s 14 years of losing. He’s only in charge of this year’s iteration.

In that way, the Jets’ head coach was always set up to fail in 2025. There is just too much frustration surrounding the organization right now, and there’s little patience left to give in the eyes of the fanbase.

While fans may feel lied to regarding their new coach, Glenn has offered his clarification. That doesn’t mean he’ll earn any additional grace after an 0-5 start, though.