When New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was first named to the position in January, he believed he was inheriting a talented team that needed an infusion of stability and leadership.
Throughout the offseason, Glenn’s message to Jets fans, people who have stood by and waited during a league-high 14-year playoff drought, was that the years of losing were soon coming to a close.
“Every decision that me and [Darren] Mougey make is to win, and win now,” Glenn said in February.
But after a 1-7 start to the season that led to the team trading its two best defensive players, Glenn is walking back his previous promises to Jets fans.
His new remarks paint a much different picture for the organization.
Glenn’s altered message to Jets fans
The trades of All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams have created a different reality than the one Glenn thought he was walking into when the year began.
Fans have seen their team lose seven straight games, watched two of their best players get traded for draft capital, and faced increased season-ticket prices.
Glenn’s message through it all? He wants the same thing he wanted before: a team the fan base can be proud of.
Just on a different timeline.
“I want this to be a team that the fans are proud of, but again, I never said they were going to be proud of them right now,” Glenn said Wednesday afternoon, speaking for the first time after Tuesday’s trades.
It’s an alteration to the statement Glenn made on Sept. 2, days ahead of the season opener, when the first-year head coach said, “What would define a successful season? I want to be a team to where the fans will look up and say, ‘We’re proud of that team.’ And if they say that, I’ll be happy. I’ll be happy, because within that, I know that wins will come.”
This isn’t the first time Glenn has shifted his timeline for what fans should expect. During the 2025 Scouting Combine, Glenn boasted that the team was going to compete immediately. He doubled down at league meetings at the end of March by continuing to push the idea that the team might be better than people originally thought.
But then the regular season began. As the losses piled up, Glenn’s expectations changed. His optimistic outlook has now been extended several years into the future.
Fans are left wondering when things will eventually turn around.
After Tuesday’s trades, it’s clear the organization will be asking for more time to bring in players who fit the current regime’s mindset. That remains the primary focus for the rest of the 2025 season.
“Our guys are working,” Glenn said. “We’re going to continue to work and I will stand by my statement. We are going to be a team that the fans are proud of, so don’t let go of the rope.”
