At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn touted his superpower as a coach at the professional level.

“To me, play calling is my superpower, really,” Glenn said. “Doing it for four years in Detroit, and, man, just look at the maturation of those four years, of how we improved every year, and how I improved as a play caller. I really missed doing that. I think it’s a huge part of helping us become the team that I see us becoming.”

Glenn can talk all he wants about how good a play-caller he was in Detroit. In some ways, he’s right. The Lions’ defense improved drastically under him.

In many ways, though, the coach is misguided. Play-calling isn’t his superpower at all.

And he reminded Jets fans of the reality of it Tuesday morning at the owner meetings in Arizona.

Glenn’s true superpower

Glenn was hired in January of 2025 for two big reasons.

1. He really wanted the job (the first thing owner Woody Johnson said at his introductory press conference)

2. He was the rare former player who understood what Jets fans had so desperately wanted, and pushed to be the guy to fix New York’s struggles.

That second part is very important. Glenn’s passion, even during New York’s three-win season last year, never wavered. He wasn’t beaten down by the losing or the millions calling for his job after a single year.

As a former player, Glenn is used to that kind of scrutiny.

But therein lies his true superpower.

Glenn cares. He truly wants to be part of the reason New York ends their 15-year playoff drought and becomes a respected organization again. When asked about that very question in Arizona on Tuesday morning, the 53-year-old even got emotional thinking about it.

“There’s not a day, there’s not an hour, there’s not a minute I don’t think about that,” Glenn said. “And I look forward to trying to make that happen.”

Being able to connect with a fanbase is rare for head coaches. Some take on the identity of the town they lead. Others simply want nothing to do with it.

But as the pitchforks come out after every loss, Glenn doesn’t fight the doubters. He doesn’t get battered like other former Jet coaches. He carries on with the same intensity and passion that made him a Pro Bowl player.

There are certainly things Glenn will need to improve on as a coach. In-game decisions and adjustments are two major issues that carried on throughout the regular season last year. But even at the 2026 Scouting Combine, those were things the coach believed he had worked on.

For a fanbase that has tried to gravitate towards anyone who they feel can help them win, Glenn is in rare company. Not only does he want to be part of the solution, but he’s desperate to be.

That’s his superpower.