On Tuesday, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn spoke to the media at the annual NFL owners meetings. The second-year leader provided a litany of juicy quotes for news-starved fans in the dead period of the draft build-up.
For one, Glenn revealed the defensive scheme that New York will be running in 2026.
The headline-grabber, though, was Glenn’s incredibly optimistic outlook on Jets quarterback Geno Smith.
“He’s the guy that’s going to lead us to the promised land,” Glenn said of Smith.
“Something about a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder,” Glenn said of the veteran signal-caller. “Listen, he’s proven a lot in the league with what he’s done, especially if you take the time he was in Seattle. He fits exactly what we’re trying to do. Obviously, we’ve created an identity. The foundation of our offense is pretty good now.”
Speaking on Smith’s league-leading total of 17 interceptions in 2025, Glenn defended his quarterback by stating how many of the league’s best passers are consistently near the top of the NFL in that category.
“Listen, I know he had his struggles. I think a lot of quarterbacks, they have their struggles. If you look at, over the last five years, the guys that have thrown the most interceptions, the top guys are up there.”
Glenn recently crowned Smith as the Jets’ Week 1 starting quarterback, stomping any notion of a training camp competition. Although the circumstances are different, it is reminiscent of Glenn’s 2025 decision to start Justin Fields without a competition.
There are many questions surrounding Glenn entering 2026, but if there is one thing about Glenn that is for certain, it’s his confidence in New York’s starting quarterback.
