Jets Knew This Was Multi-Year Project, So Should They Fire Aaron Glenn?

When the New York Jets hired Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey to fix the organization, the fan base seemed to think it would take about two years. 

Of course, last year didn't go as planned, and as a result, the Jets decided to move on from guys like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. 

Fast forward to 2026, and it doesn't look like anything is getting much better for the Jets, though there's an argument that things were supposed to improve. 

With all the moves the front office made this past offseason, as well as the NFL Draft, there was really no excuse for the Jets not to be a better team.

However, the latest from The Athletic suggests that when the Jets decided to trade Gardner last year, it was because the organization understood that it was going to be a multi-year project to get this team back to where it has to be. 

It's been quite some time now since the Jets have been anywhere near where they need to be, but there was at least a feeling inside the building that it was going to only take a couple of years. 

My only question with that is why the Jets are now being pressured to move on from Glenn if there was already a consensus within the building and the fan base that this was going to take longer than a year or two.

“Still, Glenn understood what he was walking into when he was hired by the Jets. He knew that Gardner was talented — he was selected first-team All-Pro in each of his first two seasons — and that his name carried weight in New York. He also knew about the downsides; Gardner isn’t exactly a playmaker (three interceptions in 66 career games) and that he sometimes frustrated the previous coaching staff with how much attention he paid to public perception.

“Mougey and Glenn, in tandem, decided to sign Gardner to a $120.4 million extension, though Mougey took advantage of Gardner’s desire to top the cornerback charts in APY (average per year). The GM structured the deal so it wouldn’t be difficult to trade if they wanted to. As Glenn’s debut season crumbled, it became clear this would be a multi-year project to get the Jets back on track,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote.

Ultimately, a lot of this comes down to Glenn not winning games at a high level. 

The harsh reality of the NFL is that when guys don't win at the level they're expected to, questions always come up about how to fix it. As a result, people usually want the head coach fired, and with Glenn, it's almost tough to disagree. Everything we've seen out of the Jets over the past 14-plus months with him as the head coach has been very disappointing. 

However, I also think it's important to recognize that he doesn't have the most talent on his roster, and there was always a consensus that things needed improvement. Whether that helps him keep his job remains to be seen, but it's at least an interesting conversation to have.