CBS Sports has spent much of the offseason taking swings at the Jets, and this time the target isn’t Garrett Wilson. NFL analyst Jordan Dajani put Aaron Glenn at the top of his list of the league’s hottest coaching seats heading into the 2026 season, even while acknowledging that New York has had a productive offseason.
Dajani pointed to the Geno Smith trade and the Jets’ three first-round picks as reasons to believe the roster is in better shape than it was before. “I would argue the Jets are one of the NFL's most improved teams on paper,” Dajani wrote. “That doesn't mean they're going to make the playoffs, but the foundation is in place.”
That’s where the argument gets messy. Dajani never really laid out why Glenn should be viewed as more vulnerable than coaches such as Shane Steichen, Todd Bowles or Zac Taylor.
The Buccaneers and Colts both faded after strong starts last season and missed the playoffs. Steichen is 25-26 in three seasons, has not reached the postseason and hasn’t developed Anthony Richardson.
Taylor and the Bengals haven’t been back to the playoffs since 2022, and the loss of All-Pro pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson only sharpens the pressure there.
Bowles also sits in a tricky spot with Tampa Bay, where the championship window is narrowing and Baker Mayfield’s contract situation looms. Yet Glenn wound up with the harshest label after a Jets season that ended without an interception and with the No. 2 pick.
The piece also noted that under Woody Johnson, the Jets historically have not fired head coaches midseason outside of Robert Saleh. That matters when comparing Glenn’s situation to other coaches around the league.
If Johnson truly believed Glenn wasn’t the answer, the article argued, the Jets could have followed the Patriots’ example and moved on from Jerod Mayo in favor of Mike Vrabel. New England did exactly that. The Jets, in theory, could have pursued Kevin Stefanski or John Harbaugh instead, assuming either would have been interested.
The article was careful to say Stefanski is not necessarily on the same level as Vrabel or Harbaugh, but it did note that he is a far more established coach than Glenn and has made the playoffs twice in Cleveland.
Glenn’s seat should be warm if the overmatched moments continue. But ranking him No. 1 felt, in the view of the piece, like another example of CBS Sports leaning into its anti-Jets stance.
“At this rate, CBS Sports would give the Jets an “F” if they went 7-10 and had four players make the Pro Bowl.”
“We get it, Jordan. The Jets are bad, and we must point and laugh at them.”
In Other News...
Jets Fans Won't Agree On This Latest Quarterback Trade Idea
The Jets quarterback search has a way of circling back to the same question: how much sense does it make to chase another young arm, especially when the answer might be more about patience than certainty? With the Browns carrying a crowded quarterback room and a former third-round pick still trying to carve out a clearer path, the idea of a trade has enough logic on paper to get attention in New York, where the position has been a source of frustration for years.
For the Jets, the appeal is obvious enough. A backup with some starting experience and room to grow can look like a worthwhile swing if the price is modest, and this is the kind of move that can divide fans between those craving upside and those who have seen too many false starts at quarterback. The real question is whether adding another developmental passer changes anything meaningful for a team still trying to find stability at the most important spot on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Finally Have A Smarter Backup QB Option
The Jets still have plenty to sort out when it comes to the quarterback room, and the backup spot feels just as important as the long-term answer under center. With the team looking for a developmental option who can grow in the system and be ready if called upon, the idea of adding a young passer with real game experience has become a logical place to look.
One name that has come up in that conversation is a former starter who already has some NFL reps and a manageable contract, which makes the fit easier to imagine from a roster-building standpoint. The wrinkle is whether his current team is willing to keep him in place as insurance, especially with other quarterbacks in the mix, so this is still more of a possibility than a finished deal. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Just Got Another Unsettling Reminder About The Next QB
The Jets still have Geno Smith under center, but the conversation around what comes next keeps circling back to the same uneasy place: there is not much proven help waiting behind him. The Athletic recently took a look at the quarterback picture and pointed to a pair of possible fallback options, which is a reminder that even with a starter in place, the depth chart is still drawing scrutiny.
One of those names comes with only a small NFL sample, while the other has earned respect for his intelligence and presence in the room without yet convincing evaluators that his game is ready for the league. For a team that has spent years trying to stabilize the most important position in sports, that kind of uncertainty is exactly the sort of detail fans notice, especially when the discussion is less about a solution than about how thin the options remain. [Read more 🡒]