Sunday afternoon was supposed to be the kind of spot Aaron Glenn’s Jets could finally cash in on.
Instead, it only made the numbers look worse.
Glenn came into the game still looking for his first AFC East win, and the drought stretched to 0-8 after New York’s lifeless loss to the winless Dolphins. The Jets were at home, listed as at least four-point favorites in most sportsbooks, and facing a Miami team that had yet to win a game.
None of that mattered. Poor clock management and another underwhelming defensive performance helped sink New York again, and Glenn’s overall record slid to 5-19.
“Listen, I know what the record is, I do, but I also know what I feel about these players and how they play,” Glenn told reporters. “I know that we’re not where we need to be. But I totally believe that we’re on the right track.”
The skid is striking even by Jets standards. Since the Johnson family took over in 2000, the team has gone through eight coaches. Nearly all of them, along with 2024 interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, got their first AFC East win quickly.
Al Groh beat the division right away on Sept. 10, 2000.
Herm Edwards did it on Sept. 23, 2001.
Eric Mangini needed only one divisional game before getting his first win over the AFC East on Sept. 24, 2006.
Rex Ryan followed on Sept. 20, 2009, Todd Bowles on Oct. 4, 2015, and Adam Gase on Dec.
8, 2019.
Robert Saleh was the outlier before Glenn, and even he finally got there on Oct. 9, 2022, after starting 0-6 against division opponents. Ulbrich’s first AFC East win came on Jan. 5, 2025, after a 0-4 start. Glenn now stands alone at 0-8.
That’s the kind of table that leaves the franchise staring at another uncomfortable question: why should Glenn get a third season?
The source of the frustration isn’t hard to see. The Jets have lived through plenty of rough stretches over the past 26 years, including the 2012 and 2020 teams that came with real expectations. Even so, almost every coach before Glenn managed to break through in the division during their first year.
The bigger debate, though, is what comes next. The argument here is for an offensive-minded hire, something the Jets have done only once this century. Gase is the lone example, and his tenure was ugly enough that it shouldn’t scare the team away from finding another coach with offensive coordinator experience.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the Jets will actually do it. The more likely path, as history has shown, is another defensive coordinator or another comeback candidate who probably shouldn’t be getting a head coaching job again. And when that happens, the same cycle will start all over, with fans hearing the same sales pitch and having the same conversation again in October 2028.
In Other News...
Jets Trade Deadline Could Force Tough Calls Across This Roster
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Jets are facing the kind of roster decisions that can quietly reshape a season before the calendar even flips to winter. Veterans on expiring contracts are already in the conversation, and the bigger issue is how a few players fit into a changing depth chart as the team evaluates both present production and future flexibility.
Among the names being discussed are Harrison Phillips, Nahshon Wright, Andre Cisco, Brandon Stephens, Jamien Sherwood and Will McDonald IV, a group that reflects how wide the possibilities are for New York. Some are veterans who could appeal to other teams, while others have seen their standing shift for different reasons, leaving the Jets to weigh whether holding onto them makes more sense than collecting value now. [Read more 🡒]
Demario Davis Is Putting The Jets In A Tough Spot
Demario Davis has long been the kind of player the Jets could lean on for steadiness in the middle of the defense, but this season has brought a different conversation. The veteran linebackers leadership and experience still matter in the room, yet his physical impact has slipped enough to be felt on Sundays, and it has shown up in a defense that has not been as consistent as the team needs.
Jamien Sherwood has taken a step forward in coverage and tackling, which should have given New York a better foundation at linebacker. Instead, the pairing has not reliably settled the unit the way the Jets hoped, leaving the defense without the kind of stability that usually comes from having an established veteran alongside a rising partner. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Has A Jets Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Jets loss to the Dolphins did more than add another blemish to a frustrating season in the AFC East. It also put a sharper spotlight on Aaron Glenn, whose defense has struggled to deliver against division opponents and whose role as a steadying presence has become harder to sell after another defeat in Miami.
Glenn is still in place, but the optics around him have gotten tougher to ignore. His postgame message was meant to take responsibility, yet it only seemed to deepen the sense that the Jets are still looking for the right tone, the right answers and maybe even the right direction from one of their key voices. [Read more 🡒]