New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn faced a difficult task following Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Gang Green had traded away its two best defensive stars — cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. After months of preaching that the team was focused on winning, those moves signaled that the organization was shifting its attention to the future rather than the 2025 season.

After a deadline fire sale, the next challenge for a coach in Glenn’s position is keeping his team competing despite the writing on the wall.

And that message has already been delivered to the roster heading into Week 10.

Jets’ deadline aftermath

It wasn’t just Gardner and Williams who were tied to trade talks before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. Running back Breece Hall, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, and linebacker Quincy Williams were also names discussed around the league.

As significant as the Jets’ trades were, the team’s fire sale of stars could have gone even deeper.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Glenn shared what he told the players who remain and what he expects over the final nine games of the regular season.

“I always hit things head on,” Glenn said. “Obviously when you have two guys that end up leaving your team… you don’t want to make too much of a deal about it because the players know this is a league of change. That’s as far as it went.”

Gardner and Williams were two of only three players on the roster with All-Pro honors in the last five seasons. While losing that kind of talent can create psychological challenges, Glenn pointed to one key stat moving forward — the team has already shown it can win without them.

“We won a game last week with Sauce not there. We know how good of a player he is, we know how good of a player Quinnen is,” Glenn said. “We are moving forward. We have a good amount of draft capital that we are looking forward to. When that time comes, we’ll handle that, but right now, we’re focused on Cleveland.”

Keeping the team engaged will be crucial for Glenn over the remainder of the season. If New York continues to play hard, it will signal that the locker room still believes in the current regime — even after parting with its top talent.

Anything less, and questions about Glenn’s message will only grow as the season progresses. Either way, Glenn expects the same effort and commitment from his group coming off the bye week.

Can 2025 be salvaged?

Despite all the trades, there is some good news for the Jets and Glenn.

New York’s remaining stars have expressed their desire to stay beyond the 2025 campaign. Whether it’s Breece Hall or Jermaine Johnson, several of the team’s young core players have made it clear they want to be part of the rebuild.

Johnson posted a message on social media immediately following the trades, reaffirming his commitment to the organization and his long-term future with the Jets.

On Wednesday, he doubled down on that stance.

“I just revert back to the tweet I sent out,” Johnson said. “It’s how I feel… I don’t care about rumors… the goal is to go 1-0 every week.”

The Jets will need to prove they can compete without their two best defensive players from recent seasons. If the roster stays engaged and continues to play sound football, it will go a long way toward showing that Glenn’s message still resonates inside the building.