Mike Macdonald’s start in Seattle is the kind of result that can make people rethink the whole “defensive coach” debate, and it arrives at a useful moment for Aaron Glenn and the Jets.
A lot of New York fans have already written off Glenn, and some have gone a step further by dismissing the idea that a defense-first head coach can steer a team in the right direction at all. Macdonald is giving that argument a real challenge. Fresh off winning a Super Bowl in his second season, he opened the NFL season by beating Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots 13-10 in a rematch that fit the mold: a defensive coach winning with structure, discipline and enough offense to survive.
That matters because the league keeps tilting toward the Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay branches of coaching trees, but Macdonald’s success is a reminder that there are still other blueprints that work. A strong defensive head coach with real leadership can build a scheme that rattles quarterbacks, keep games close and rely on competent quarterback play and an organized offensive staff to finish the job.
That is the lane Glenn is trying to occupy in New York, even after a rough first season. There is still a path for a defense-first approach to work, even if the early returns have made plenty of people skeptical.
A recent Athletic story pointed out how close Glenn is with owner Woody Johnson, and that relationship helps explain how the Jets framed 2025. It was, in effect, a “Year Zero,” a season devoted to digging out from the Aaron Rodgers fallout. The real push, at least in that view, is supposed to come in 2026.
That doesn’t mean Glenn is expected to become Macdonald. That bar is probably too high.
But Macdonald does reinforce the idea that buy-in from players, a smart enough defense and efficient quarterback play can still add up to wins. That formula can be just as effective as hiring the latest disciple from the McVay or Shanahan coaching tree and hoping the copy holds up.
The Jets are already leaning into that reset. Justin Fields is gone, Geno Smith is in, Frank Reich is on board with his offensive experience, and Glenn is taking direct control of the defense by calling plays himself. That unit is built around proven veterans who can plug into the hybrid scheme and make an immediate difference.
Even the sharpest offensive coach would have had a hard time moving the needle last season. The roster just wasn’t there.
What stands out about Glenn, though, is the response he gets from players. People who have spent time around him, along with the NFLPA exit surveys that rated him favorably, have pointed to his ability to motivate and get buy-in. For a team that went through an unwatchable 2025 season, that says something about his coaching beyond the raw talent on the roster.
Of course, the whole thing can still go sideways if Glenn doesn’t adjust when the team hits a rough patch or if he leans too heavily on assistants who aren’t up to the job. That has undone coaches from every background.
But if his plan takes hold, Glenn has a chance to set the Jets back on the right path.
In Other News...
Jets Fans Turned This Win Into A Robert Saleh Referendum
The Jets opened the season with a convincing 23-10 win over Tennessee, and the game quickly turned into something bigger than a routine Week 1 result. New Yorks defense kept the Titans under 200 yards of total offense, while Geno Smith was efficient throughout, finishing 19 of 24 for 215 yards and helping the Jets control the day in a way that had the home crowd buzzing.
What made the afternoon stand out even more was the reaction from the stands, where Jets fans voiced their support for former coach Aaron Glenn while also keeping the focus on the man now on the other sideline. Robert Saleh, fired by the Jets in October 2024, remains a sore spot for plenty of fans, and this win only sharpened that feeling as the postgame mood turned into something of a referendum on his tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Win Still Left Fans With One Big Worry Before Packers
The Jets opened the season with a 23-10 win over the Titans, and there was enough encouraging early work to make the result feel solid even if it was not especially polished. Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper helped set the tone right away, while the defense and special teams did enough to keep Tennessee from ever making it feel like a real threat.
Still, the win came with a few issues that could linger into the Packers matchup. Injuries to Omar Cooper Jr., Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jarvis Brownlee were all part of the afternoon, and Jason Sanders, elevated from the practice squad, went 3-for-4 on field goals after missing from 54 yards. The Jets got the result they needed, but the health and kicking questions are not the kind of loose ends a team wants hanging around this early. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Already Have One Uncomfortable Question About Aaron Glenns Kicker
The Jets went into Week 1 with Jason Sanders holding the kicking job, even after a shaky preseason and a competition with Blake Grupe that suggested the position was anything but settled. New York had already shown it was willing to keep the door open on alternatives, including a workout with Justin Tucker, which made Sanders margin for error feel slim from the start.
Sanders then missed a critical fourth-and-8 field goal attempt that would have extended the Jets lead, a miss that only sharpened the uncertainty around his standing. For Aaron Glenn and the Jets, the bigger issue now is less about what happened on one kick and more about whether they can afford to keep waiting for the answer at a position that can swing games fast. [Read more 🡒]