Notes and quotes from the smaller group interviews given by Aaron Glenn, Darren Mougey and Robert Wood Johnson on Monday after Johnson introduced Glenn as the Jets' new head coach and Mougey as their new general manager at the news conference in the players' auditorium at One Jets Drive.
Calling Plays, Building Staffs
Glenn was asked a two-part question — will he call the Jets' defensive plays and what will his process be for building his coaching staff — that dovetailed nicely for a thoughtful answer from the first-year HC.
"I won't call the defense," he said. "I want to be the best head coach you can find. For me to do that, I think I need to manage the game, so I'll have my OC and my DC, those guys will be calling the plays. When it comes to staffing, that's a work in progress. I'm looking for the best coaches that are going to help us succeed. And I do believe coaches are the start of your culture. So every coach will be looked at to make sure they can bring that. I've always taught that it's not coachability, it's compatibility. I want to make sure the coaches we bring in are compatible."
Mougey also needs to assess his staff in the GM's suite but he said first things first.
"I just got here less than 24 hours ago," he said with a laugh. "I found my office this morning for the first time. I'm looking forward to listening a lot. There are a lot of people here and I've got a lot of questions. We're going to talk, I'm going to listen.
"I have not made any of those plans," he said of scouting hires, "other than to get with AG and help him get his coaching staff in place first."
Personnel Matters
Even on his first day being introduced as the Jets head coach, Glenn showed he already has that iron-fist-in-velvet-glove quality when answering media questions. During the main portion of the news conference, he said that he and Mougey haven't made any QB decisions regarding Aaron Rodgers and that the duo "are not going to rush for this answer because we're going to get the right answer."
When AG was asked point blank in the smaller media scrum following the big news event if Rodgers would be his head coach, he replied with a smile: "You're going to continue to ask me the same question, I'm going to give you the same answer. We're still in evaluation mode. So for anybody else that's going to ask that, I'm going to give you the same answer. so don't waste your time."
But Glenn did have one bit of scouting input on another top Jet in Sauce Gardner, who plays Glenn's old position of cornerback superbly but had his struggles in the 2024 season.
Coming out of Cincinnati in the 2022 draft, Glenn said Sauce "was a damn good player. That's why he made the Pro Bowl since he's been here. What he did last year, we're in the process of looking at that. If there are any issues, we'll fix that. But he came here as a Pro Bowler and we expect him to leave as a Pro Bowler."
Woody Johnson's Self-Scout
Robert Wood Johnson, entering his 26th season as the chairman of the Jets, was asked after the main news conference if he has any plans to change up his ownership style with his new HC and GM.
"Absolutely, I have to look in the mirror, I have to be a better owner. I've tried to be better and I do self-scout — and a lot of people scout for me," Johnson said. As for reports of his increased participation in football matters during the season, he said: "There was a lot of exaggeration and hyperbole, there really was. You really have to take all that stuff with a grain of salt. Yes, I want Aaron Glenn to coach the team, I want the general manager to manage the assets and the players. And I'll take the owner's position. That's what I'd like to do."
As for the new chain of command, Mougey said, "Any player acquisition, whether we're adding or subtracting .... it's our decision." And both new football leaders will report directly to Johnson.
