Nfl Offseason Power Rankings: No. 31 New York Jets Try To Put Aaron Glenn's Horrific First Season Behind Them

The start of the Aaron Glenn era actually wasn't a complete disaster for the New York Jets — at least, it wasn't quite as bad as we might remember.

The Jets started 0-7 but were competitive in most games. Five of those games were decided by one possession, and some of those close games were against solid teams such as the Steelers, Buccaneers, Broncos and Panthers. No, an 0-7 record wasn't fun, but nobody should've assumed the 2025 Jets were going to be a playoff contender. It was reasonable for them to be playing competitive games even if the wins weren't coming (though sticking with Justin Fields too long early in the season and a damning clock-management error at the end of the first half against the Broncos were mistakes by Glenn that were signs of things to come). A miraculous win at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 stopped the bleeding. The Jets won their next game, too, at Cleveland.

The good vibes were temporary. It got worse over the second half of the season, leaving everyone wondering if the head coach will make it through this season.

The months since those two wins have been awful for the Jets. They traded away cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, two of their best young players, signaling a full rebuild. They lost seven of their last eight, and the competitive games vanished. Every one of those seven losses was by 13 or more points. The Jets' closest game after the start of December was a 23-point loss. They were the first team in NFL history to lose five straight games by 23 or more points. Their point differential over the last eight games was a hideous minus-157.

The most attention the Jets got late in the season was for setting a mind-boggling NFL record with zero interceptions as a defense all season. They became the first team in NFL history to finish last in point differential, turnover differential and yardage differential, according to QBgami on X. It was an absolute fiasco.

"I let the players down. I let the organization down," Glenn said after the final game. "And that burns me. It really does."

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In the offseason, Glenn turned over almost all of his coaching staff. The Jets replaced 12 of the 22 assistants from Glenn's first staff, via ESPN, including hiring new offensive and defensive coordinators. In addition, Glenn will take over defensive play-calling, something he didn't do last season.

One of the key jobs of a head coach is hiring a staff, and Glenn struck out his first time doing it. He enters this season needing to show a lot of progress, and he'll do it with a roster that isn't close to being playoff-quality.

The Jets practically punted on their permanent quarterback solution until the 2027 NFL Draft, trading for Geno Smith to be a stopgap starter. (They did, however, burn a fourth-round pick on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.) New York worked to add some talent on defense through free agency and the draft, most notably using the second overall pick on pass-rusher David Bailey. He is an exciting prospect who matches elite college production with a top-end athletic profile. New York also made a low-cost trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was the fifth-ranked safety in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

The moves give Glenn a chance. Last season was his first as a head coach, and while the learning curve was steeper than anyone expected, perhaps he learned some lessons. Maybe taking back defensive play-calling — "To me, play-calling is my superpower, really," Glenn said — with a more experienced staff and an infusion of talent will turn things around. But given how the 2025 season ended, Glenn starts this season in a big hole.

Offseason grade

The Jets didn't fix their quarterback problem, but that was probably by design — and prudent. The 2027 NFL Draft will have plenty of options, and the Jets should have a high pick. That's what made their use of the 110th pick in this year's draft on quarterback Cade Klubnik frustrating, but maybe he's the very rare mid-round quarterback pick who hits big.

Trading a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Geno Smith and a seventh-round pick was a quintessential Band-Aid move. The Jets' draft haul was good, leading with David Bailey at No. 2 (taking him over Arvell Reese, who seems to have the bigger upside, will be debated for a few years) and following with tight end Kenyon Sadiq and receiver Omar Cooper Jr. with two more first-round picks. Second-round pick D'Angelo Ponds should contribute at cornerback right away.

Free-agent additions of edge defenders Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare, cornerback Nahshon Wright and safety Dane Belton made sense because of their youth. Wright is 27 years old, and the other three are 26 or younger. Trading for huge third-year defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat and sending mostly disappointing edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II to the Titans in the deal looks like a win for the Jets. Adding linebacker Demario Davis and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was acquired from Miami for a seventh-round pick, gives immediate productivity and veterans to help build the culture.

The Jets lost talent, including offensive linemen Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpso, and linebacker Quincy Williams, but they retained running back Breece Hall on the franchise tag.

Grade: B

Quarterback report

It's easy to pile on Geno Smith after a miserable season with the Las Vegas Raiders, but two things should be kept in mind: The 2025 Raiders were barely a professional operation, and Smith was solid for the Seahawks for three seasons before that. The Jets could've done worse for a veteran bridge quarterback, and they paid nearly nothing to trade for Smith.

New offensive coordinator Frank Reich gushed about Smith, calling him a "perfect fit" and saying his "best football is ahead of him." That's hyperbole, but Smith is better than what he showed last season. Everyone knows he's keeping the seat warm for a season, and that's fine.

Odds breakdown

From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: "The Jets were favored in only one game last season, and this season, they have a win total of just 5.5. New York has gone under its win total each of the past three seasons and seven of the past eight. The Jets haven't made the playoffs since 2010, and with +800 odds (their longest playoff odds since 2017), sportsbooks don't think this will be the year to break that streak.

"With a veteran QB in Geno Smith, a healthy Garrett Wilson and an improved defense — not to mention home games against the Browns, Dolphins and Raiders and road games at the Titans and Cardinals — there is a path to New York surpassing its win total. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I'd take the Jets over 5.5 wins."

Yahoo's fantasy take

From Yahoo's Scott Pianowski: "The early draft market will allow you to land Breece Hall just inside the top 40, as roughly the 17th running back off the board. I could see him turning into a value pick. New York has an underrated offensive line, and it's possible last year's shipwrecked passing game will be at least modestly improved. No one expects the Jets to be a winning team, but any step forward from last year will probably boost Hall's bottom line. I'll sign off on him as a reasonable fourth-round pick."

Stat to remember

It's not the first time you've heard this, but the Jets' defense had zero interceptions last season. No other team in NFL history — going back to 1933, when interceptions were first tracked — finished a season without an INT. And the Jets had the benefit of a 17th game.

The fact that the Jets didn't pick off one pass deflected up in the air or a Hail Mary attempt or any other legitimate or fluky interception speaks to the lack of playmakers. The drought was especially perplexing because head coach Aaron Glenn was an NFL cornerback for 15 years. The lack of an interception is a big reason the Jets finished last in the NFL with a 110.9 passer rating allowed. They were also last in the NFL with a -19 turnover margin. Only one other team was worse than -9, and that was the Commanders at -13. In other words, New York lapped the field in negative turnover differential.

The Jets could start as many as six new veteran additions and two rookies on defense, and that can't be a bad thing. The interior defensive line in particular could be strong. If No. 2 draft pick David Bailey, who had 14.5 sacks for Texas Tech last season, is an immediate hit off the edge, that will help the entire defense. Maybe the Jets will stumble their way into an interception.

Burning question: Are the Jets building a solid offense?

The Jets still don't know who their quarterback will be in 2027 and beyond. But whoever that QB is should have a good head start because the Jets have legitimate offensive talent. Receiver Garrett Wilson might be a bigger star if he had quarterbacks who can get him the ball, and he's joined by first-round draft pick Omar Cooper Jr. this season.

The Jets picking tight end Kenyon Sadiq in the first round a year after taking tight end Mason Taylor in the second round seemed like a bad allocation of resources, but Sadiq's athletic profile is remarkable. The Jets have a good running back in Breece Hall. They also have two promising young tackles, Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, who were 2024 and 2025 first-round picks.

There are some questions about whether new offensive coordinator Frank Reich is the answer, considering it has been a while since he led a good offense, but nobody knows what the Jets staff will look like in 2027. We don't know who the quarterback will be, either, but it could be an attractive destination for whoever it is.

Best-case scenario

A lot has to go right, but the Jets have the potential to be much better than last season. Their defense should improve with Glenn calling plays and a bunch of new starters including David Bailey, who could win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Geno Smith was a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2022 and 2023, and maybe the group of Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Omar Cooper Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor help him rediscover that form.

This Jets team will look a lot different, thankfully. Of course, this is still the Jets, and it's hard to have much optimism for a team owned by Woody Johnson. But if you squint, there are reasons to believe the Jets could be much better than last season's three-win debacle.

Nightmare scenario

Aaron Glenn came from the Detroit Lions with the hope that he would be a smash hit in New York. Maybe he just isn't a good NFL head coach. There isn't much tangible evidence at the moment to prove otherwise. Getting outscored by 157 points in eight games is nearly impossible, but the Jets did it to finish last season. They looked like a team that gave up, and that reflects poorly on Glenn.

Geno Smith had a nightmare season in Las Vegas, and maybe that was the sign that he's finished as a viable NFL quarterback. New York's defense added a lot of pieces, but it's possible they don't all mesh, and it would be especially troubling if rookie David Bailey struggles and it looks like a mistake to have drafted him over other defensive prospects such as Arvell Reese.

Glenn being the first coach fired during this season is a potential outcome. That might be fine, but wouldn't it be completely on-brand for the Jets to win just enough games to knock them out of the mix for one of the elite quarterback prospects in the 2027 draft?

The crystal ball says …

It's not like the Jets are completely devoid of talent. It's just hard to buy into the infrastructure. There's a reason they've missed the playoffs in 15 straight seasons — the longest drought among the four major American pro sports leagues. That's more than a streak of bad luck.

The ineptitude starts with a bad team owner and trickles down. When Aaron Glenn comes in and has a terrible first season as head coach, it shouldn't be a big surprise. Maybe Glenn isn't good, or perhaps nobody can succeed in this environment.

It'll be another long season for New York, but the ray of hope is a top-five pick in next year's draft. And if the Jets earn that selection, it seems likely a new coach will be in charge of whichever quarterback New York drafts.