Jets fans are getting exactly what they asked for with Aaron Glenn

When the New York Jets began their head coaching search in January, an overwhelming majority of the fan base demanded one thing from the new hire: The new head coach needed to be a culture setter.

Never mind needing someone with schematic expertise or an offensive-minded leader who could develop quarterbacks. Jets fans wanted a leader of men—someone who could instill discipline, accountability, and tangible results early in their tenure.

They got exactly what they asked for in Aaron Glenn. The difference? Jets fans didn’t realize what hiring a culture setter would look like in the early stages.

Now, many want to hit reset again, not realizing that the issues putting the team at 0-6 are a direct result of those same demands.

Culture Setter vs. Winner

It’s far too early to definitively say whether Glenn was the wrong hire. He could still turn things around in 2025, or he could kickstart a larger rebuild in 2026.

But hiring Glenn in the first place reinforced a long-standing misconception among the Jets’ faithful: that being a “culture setter” is more important than being a strong schematic mind or offensive strategist.

The 2025 season has been a brutal reminder that this line of thinking no longer works in today’s NFL.

Examples across the league offer the clearest proof.

Winning is how a team changes its culture—not slogans, not speeches, and not benching players after penalties. Winning is culture. And the fastest path to winning in the NFL is by finding a quality quarterback.

Would Dan Quinn’s “culture shock” in Washington have worked without rookie phenom Jayden Daniels? Could Mike Vrabel survive in New England without Drake Maye playing like an MVP candidate?

When a team lacks a young, talented quarterback, it takes much longer to install a new culture—no matter the coach.

Jets fans believed Glenn’s experience as a former player would be enough to turn things around. He could stop the Jets from being one of the league’s most penalized teams. He could steer the organization back to winning ways.

But Glenn arrived without a clear long-term plan at quarterback and no firm offensive identity. He brought in a free-agent quarterback with a limited skill set to lead the offense—a short-term Band-Aid on a long-term problem.

What did Jets fans think was going to happen?

Is another coaching change smart?

Expectations need to be realistic with a new staff. Last season, the Jets had a future Hall of Fame quarterback on the roster—and still won just five games.

Yes, coaching was part of the problem. But 2024 exposed that the Jets may not have had enough overall talent to spark a significant turnaround, especially without a legitimate answer under center.

Glenn isn’t getting fired after one season. That would cost owner Woody Johnson a significant amount of money, and it would restart a coaching search less than a year after hiring The 33rd Team to conduct the last one. Jets fans need to be prepared for that reality.

Could things have gone differently if the team hired an offensive-minded coach instead?

Would they have chosen to keep Aaron Rodgers? Would they have found a better option than Justin Fields? Could someone like Liam Coen have elevated the offense and the win column?

We’ll never know. Because the Jets didn’t hire an offensive-minded individual or a winner with a quarterback. They hired for culture.

Now the team is living with the consequences.

Jets fans wanted the culture changer. Now they’ll have to accept the plan and see it through—even if that means a staff with no history of quarterback development will be making a high pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

They got what they asked for. Now comes the hard part.