The Jets are 1-3, Aaron Glenn’s early momentum has already cooled, and the strange part is that he doesn’t even own the whole mess by himself. A few weeks into the 2026 season, some of the coaches who came before him in New York are looking just as bad - if not worse - in their new homes.
There are five 0-4 teams in the league, and former Jets head coaches are tied to three of them. Todd Bowles has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winless.
Robert Saleh’s Tennessee Titans are also 0-4 after Glenn beat them in Week 1. And Adam Gase is on the staff of a Los Angeles Chargers team that is still searching for its first win.
For Jets fans, there’s a familiar punchline here: changing uniforms doesn’t magically fix the same old problems. A coach who struggled in New York doesn’t suddenly become untouchable somewhere else just because the green and white are gone.
Bowles is the easiest one to defend, at least a little. Tampa Bay’s losses have been competitive with Baker Mayfield in the lineup, and when Mayfield got hurt, undrafted free agent quarterback Jalon Daniels started in a loss to the Green Bay Packers. Bowles still looks like a strong candidate to be fired after the season, but he has had success in Tampa Bay.
Gase, meanwhile, is in a situation dripping with irony. He put together a dead-last offense in New York despite his offensive background, and now he’s attached to a Chargers team with Justin Herbert in his prime and Mike McDaniel running the show. Even with that setup, the group has looked as disjointed as anyone in the NFL.
Saleh’s case feels the most familiar to anyone who watched him in New York. His defensive scheme has started to look outdated, he’s still struggling to work with a developing quarterback, and his leadership style seems to be wearing thin. In Tennessee, it has begun to resemble the same arc his Jets tenure followed.
The larger lesson is hard to miss: the Jets may have a reputation for dragging coaches down, but the opposite has been true for these former hires. Bad work in New York often gets waved away with the usual “who could ever possibly win with the Jets?” line, and the payoff is that those coaches keep landing jobs at roughly the same level they had before.
Right now, the flaws Jets fans complained about are showing up again. Bowles’ scheme is wearing thin.
Saleh still looks shaky with a young quarterback. And Gase’s advice, as ever, is best ignored.
In Other News...
Jets May Finally Get WR Help But One Question Still Looms
The Jets receiver room may be getting a little healthier soon, which comes as welcome news for an offense that has had to navigate injuries to key pass-catchers. Tim Patrick has now completed the required four-game absence and is eligible to return to practice, giving the team at least a chance to add some experienced help back into the mix after a stretch of uncertainty.
Omar Cooper Jr. is still a longer wait, since he remains on injured reserve and has to sit out at least one more game before his practice window can open. So while the roster picture is beginning to brighten at receiver, the bigger question for the Jets is how quickly that help can actually show up on the field, and whether Patrick will be ready to contribute right away once he ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Opponent Suddenly Has A Quarterback Issue To Sort Out
The Browns have opened the clock on a pair of injured-reserve returns, designating quarterback Dillon Gabriel and defensive tackle Kalia Davis to come back to practice. Cleveland now has 21 days to decide whether either player gets activated to the active roster, a timeline that adds another layer to a quarterback room already worth watching from afar.
Gabriels return is the more interesting subplot for Jets watchers because it forces Cleveland to sort out where he fits behind Deshaun Watson and backup Shedeur Sanders. Even before the Browns make a decision, the move hints at more quarterback evaluation work ahead, and any shuffle there is the kind of thing opponents keep an eye on as they prepare for a game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Just Got An Uncomfortable New QB Option
The Jets quarterback picture already has a few moving parts, and now another one has been dropped into the mix. NFL analyst Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently floated New York as a possible trade destination for San Francisco backup Mac Jones, putting a concrete price on the idea with a conditional 2027 second-round pick.
Jones has already bounced from the Patriots to the Jaguars to the 49ers, and he is currently sitting behind Brock Purdy in San Francisco. For the Jets, it is another reminder that the search for insulation behind Geno Smith is not necessarily finished, even with rookie Cade Klubnik in the building after being drafted in 2026 and getting preseason reps. [Read more 🡒]