It’s no secret that the New York Jets’ first season under head coach Aaron Glenn didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard-or the win column. From a lack of victories to a noticeable void in takeaways, it was a tough year in Florham Park. And when you factor in the front office’s decision to part ways with several franchise-caliber players in favor of a full-blown rebuild, it’s understandable why Jets fans might be hesitant to get their hopes up again this fall.
But inside the locker room, not everyone is writing off the season as a failure. In fact, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips sees it differently.
According to Phillips, Glenn inherited a deeply fractured team culture-one that needed more than a new playbook or a few roster tweaks. It needed a full reset.
“I think AG inherited a very cancerous, truculent group, top to bottom,” Phillips said, pulling no punches. “And it almost wasn't... it's not individual people's fault.
I was there for one season. It was a very difficult season, and I almost wanted to waver on some of my thoughts, my beliefs, and my optimism.”
DT Harrison Phillips on why Jets Fans Should Believe in Aaron Glenn’s Vision#JetUp pic.twitter.com/b67KijGsCg
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That’s a telling admission from a veteran like Phillips-someone who’s seen his fair share of NFL locker rooms. When a player starts questioning his own mindset, it speaks volumes about the environment he’s operating in.
And Phillips didn’t stop there. He painted a picture of a team stuck in a cycle of survival mode, where players were more focused on protecting their own futures than building something together.
“It tainted people,” Phillips continued. “Because my coach is going to get fired, my teammate's going to get fired, I'm going to be a free agent, I might get fired.
I've got to play for me. I've got to make sure my tape's hot, regardless of what the system is asking me to do or the scheme's telling me to do.”
That kind of mentality-every man for himself-is a culture killer. And when young players enter that environment and see veterans putting personal stats ahead of team success, the pattern repeats.
Phillips described it as a “long chain of things” that can’t be fixed overnight. And he’s right.
Culture change in the NFL doesn’t happen with a single speech or a flashy free-agent signing. It happens with consistency, accountability, and leadership from the top down.
That’s where Glenn comes in.
Despite the record, despite the lack of highlight-reel plays, Phillips believes Glenn is the right man to lead the Jets out of the darkness. Why? Because of how he handled the storm-calmly, consistently, and with a team-first mindset that never wavered.
“I think AG's mindset, of any coach I've been around, to deal with what we had to deal with this season, to be as consistent as he was to us through that whole thing, was super cool to see,” Phillips said.
That kind of steadiness matters. Especially in a season where the wheels could’ve completely come off.
Glenn didn’t just hold things together-he started laying the foundation. Year one under a new head coach is rarely smooth, especially in a rebuild.
But it’s in those tough stretches where you find out what kind of leader you really have.
As Phillips pointed out, the jump from year one to year two is where things often start to click. More of Glenn’s people in the building.
More of his imprint on the culture. More buy-in from players who now understand what he’s trying to build.
“I think we have to win more games,” Phillips admitted. And he’s not wrong.
At the end of the day, this is a results-driven league. But if the culture shift continues and the locker room starts playing for each other instead of just themselves, those results might not be far behind.
The Jets aren’t there yet. But for the first time in a while, there’s a sense that the foundation is being laid the right way. And in a league where culture often determines the ceiling, that’s a start worth believing in.