There are a lot of problems facing the New York Jets heading into 2026.
A talentless roster, poor coaching, questionable in-game decisions, and an otherwise unsure future leave plenty of fans frustrated over the lack of optimism produced by the first season of the Aaron Glenn era.
As the Jets close the book on the 2025 season, the team has spent the entire campaign trying to explain what went wrong. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is their approach to addressing those problems.
The most frightening issue, though, is that the solution in their eyes is actually their biggest albatross.
Jets push for culture continues
The word “culture” is a buzzword for the Jets. Glenn used it throughout his first season on the job, as have his predecessors throughout the years. In the coaches’ eyes, “culture” is about creating a no-nonsense atmosphere based on competition.
“Culture” hasn’t worked for the Jets in 15 years. Yet, Glenn is pushing for the fan base to trust in the culture-based plan.
“I expect and I would want our fans to have a total trust in us in being able to do that, and we have to earn that too, and our plan is to do that,” Glenn said on Tuesday. “We don’t expect to have another season like this here, so we’re looking forward to this offseason.”
Glenn’s insistence on building a culture is the wrong way to actually turn the team around. The only way to correctly build the kind of culture the organization wants is by doing the one thing they haven’t…
Win.
New York’s belief in what brings wins to the table is misguided. It’s also why the team continues to make mistakes in their head coaching decisions.
Coaching mistakes
The Jets are in an endless cycle. They look for coaches who can turn the culture around before the wins begin to pile up. That is a fundamental flaw in how the team locates its leaders.
Normally, that means bringing defensive-minded head coaches. The Jets have hired one offensive-minded coach in the last 25 years. Defensive-minded guys like Glenn and Robert Saleh are tasked with bringing toughness into the fold. Most of them have failed.
When the culture doesn’t get fixed immediately (as will always be the case when wins don’t come), frustration builds quickly. Then, instead of trying to build things the right way, coaches try to cut corners. That’s the downfall of having a defensive-minded coach.
That example reared its ugly head during the Jets’ locker room cleanout. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, one of the oldest players on the team, reminded the youngsters that he doesn’t have a lot of time left in his career.
“I said, you know, as an older player who is hopeful I can be here and be a part of the long-term plan for the next three, four years. I need you now,” he said.
This is the wrong message to convey to a young team, and it only highlights the fact that the underlying idea behind Glenn’s plan is flawed in its essence. Glenn was hired to change the culture. All he has done is lose numerous games and put the team in a position where they can’t win.
After his end-of-year press conference, there’s legitimate concern that the Jets will never be able to figure it out under his watch.
