Aaron Glenn Headlines List of New York Jets Facing 'Make-or-Break' 2026 Season

In a story called "6 Jets entering a make-or-break 2026 NFL season," Geoffrey A. Knox of Jets Wire named head coach Aaron Glenn.

The Jets went 3-14 last season in Year 1 of the Glenn era. 

"The Jets don't necessarily need a playoff berth to call the season a success, but they do need to see meaningful progress, a team that plays disciplined football, develops its young talent, and gives fans reason to believe sustainable success is finally taking shape," Knox wrote. 

NYJ became the first team in NFL history not to record a defensive interception and lose five straight games by 23 or more points within a single season in 2025. The team was a walking disaster. 

In Year 2 of the Glenn era, the Jets face the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings.

While all signs point toward the Jets missing the playoffs again next season, Glenn's group shouldn't be the laughingstock of the league again after having a strong draft and offseason transaction cycle.

In the 2026 draft, the Jets did pretty well. They selected David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, Omar Cooper Jr., D'Angelo Ponds, Darrell Jackson Jr., Cade Klubnik, Anez Cooper and VJ Payne.

Before the draft, the Jets acquired Geno Smith from the Raiders, Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins and T'Vondre Sweat from the Titans and signed Demario Davis and Tim Patrick in free agency. 

It will be fascinating to see how many games NYJ wins in 2026. The Jets are actually best suited to have a bad record again in 2026 so they can have a high pick in the 2027 draft and select Arch Manning or Dante Moore. 

Smith enters next season with 22,168 passing yards, 124 passing touchdowns and 89 career interceptions in the NFL. His starting record is 42-56-0 and he threw 17 interceptions last season. The odds of him turning back the clock are very low. 

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