Aaron Glenn’s debut season as head coach of the New York Jets began with a quiet confidence - the kind you see in a coach who’s ready to build something new. When he walked the facility alone on July 22, hours before his first training camp practice, it felt like a fresh chapter. But by the time the season wrapped, that early optimism had been buried under one of the most difficult years in the franchise’s 66-season history.
The Jets finished 3-14, tied for the league’s worst record, and their minus-203 point differential wasn’t just bad - it was historically bad. You’d have to go back to the 2021 Jaguars to find a team that got outscored by more in a season.
This wasn’t just a losing campaign; it was a collapse that deepened a decade-long spiral. The Jets have now logged 10 straight losing seasons.
The season started with seven straight losses and ended with five more. And those three wins in between?
They came against teams that were already struggling, each forced to start backup quarterbacks. There were no signature wins, no flashes of a turnaround - just a steady unraveling.
Some of the damage came from the roster itself, but game management didn’t help. The Jets were outscored 119-59 in the final four minutes of each half, a brutal stat that speaks to missed opportunities and poor situational execution.
One moment that still stings came in Week 6 against Denver. With time on the clock before halftime and a chance at a 53-yard field goal or even a last throw, Glenn let the clock run out.
The Jets lost that game by two points, 13-11.
Personnel decisions also played a role in the downward spiral. Glenn’s call to bring in quarterback Justin Fields and keep him under center through an 0-7 start stalled any offensive rhythm.
When Fields was finally benched in Week 12, the damage was done. Undrafted rookie Brady Cook stepped in for the final four games, but he couldn’t stop the skid.
The Jets went winless down the stretch.
And the struggles weren’t limited to the field. Behind the scenes, the organization was dealing with a level of turmoil that would test even the most seasoned coaching staff.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and seven assistants were let go. The team traded away two of its young stars - Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams - at the deadline, signaling a shift in direction.
Off the field, the franchise mourned the sudden loss of Jets legend Nick Mangold, who died at 41 from kidney disease. Meanwhile, current player Kris Boyd survived a shooting in Manhattan that required multiple surgeries.
Through it all, Glenn stayed steady. Players repeatedly pointed to his consistency, his communication, and his willingness to own mistakes.
He didn’t shy away from the failures. Late in the season, he acknowledged that the learning curve had been steep and that some of his decisions - both in-game and personnel-related - needed to be corrected.
Despite the disastrous results, ownership isn’t pulling the plug - at least not yet. Woody Johnson, who gave Glenn a five-year deal reportedly worth $12 million per year, has never fired a head coach after just one season. Internally, 2025 was always framed as a “competitive rebuild,” though that vision was forced into a full-scale reset well before Thanksgiving.
That reset is already underway. The team has been exploring ways to stabilize the offense, including reaching out to veteran coaches like Jon Gruden before ultimately parting ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Former head coach Frank Reich has emerged as the top candidate to take over and bring some much-needed structure to the offensive side of the ball.
For Glenn, the road ahead is narrow. History hasn’t been kind to head coaches who finish their first season with just three wins.
The question now is whether the Jets are willing to stay the course - to value stability and long-term growth over short-term results. Because if they are, Glenn will need to prove quickly that he’s learned from Year One and that he can guide this franchise out of the darkness.
There’s no denying the challenges. But if the Jets are serious about building something sustainable, this offseason will be about more than just new hires and draft picks. It’ll be about defining what kind of team they want to be - and whether Aaron Glenn is still the right man to lead them there.