The Jets have agreed to terms with Aaron Glenn to become their head coach. Glenn, the 22nd head coach in franchise history, returns home to a Jets team he played for in his first eight NFL seasons and later worked for as a scout in the personnel department. Glenn, the former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, officially agreed to terms on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
Chairman Johnson led the search for a head coach and was aided by The 33rd Team in a support role to help identify and vet candidates in addition to coordinate interviews. Former NFL front office executives Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman headed the project for the NFL technology and media company.
After announcing 16 completed head coach interviews, Glenn met face-to-face with Jets brass Tuesday morning and a framework for a deal was agreed upon.
Before starting his professional coaching trek, Glenn worked in the Jets' front office as a pro personnel scout in 2012 and college area scout in 2013.
"I guess the humbling part, the part I'm most proud of, is being able to come back to the team that gave me a shot, my first opportunity to set foot on an NFL field and be part of an NFL roster, gave me a chance to show what I feel I could do in this league," Glenn said upon his return to the Jets in 2012. "I think that's important to me, to show that no matter where I went, I had a soft spot in my heart for the team that gave me my first opportunity."
Prior to his first stint in coaching as the Cleveland Browns assistant secondary coach in 2014-15, A.G. played 15 seasons in the NFL. The Jets' first-round pick (No. 12 overall) out of Texas A&M in 1994, Glenn appeared in 121 games with the Green & White from 1994-2001. His 24 INTs are tied for fourth in franchise annals and he returned three of those picks for TDs. Glenn is the only Jet with two 100-yard plays to his credit -- he had a 100-yard INT return against Dan Marino and Miami in 1996 and a 104-yard return of a missed field goal at Indianapolis in 1998. Glenn was a Pro Bowler with the Jets in 1997 and '98 and he led the team in interceptions in '96, '98 and 2001.
Glenn spent the past four seasons in the Motor City serving as Detroit's defensive coordinator. The Lions went 15-2 this past season, earning the NFC's top seed as Glenn patched together a lineup that lost five starters, including edge Aidan Hutchinson, DT Alim McNeil and CB Carlton Davis III, plus multiple key backups to injured reserve. The Lions finished No. 1 on third down (32.43%), No. 5 against the run (98.4 yds/g), T5 in INTs (16) and T10 in takeaways (24).
"Aaron Glenn is as good a coach as you're going to find, he's an even better human being," said Lions HC Dan Campbell of Glenn in January. He added: "I mean this guy is as good as they come, and he can do it all. He understands how to manage a game, he understands offense, defense, special teams, he knows how to communicate, he understands discipline of players and he's motivating, he's inspiring. Anyway, I don't want to lose him, but I also root for the guy because I just think he's a hell of a coach."
In 2023, the Lions went 12-5 with Glenn at the controls of a unit that was dominant against the run. The defense yielded 3.7 yards per carry, which ranked second, and they paced the NFL in holding opponents under 100 yards rushing in 12 games. In Detroit, Glenn played an integral role on the Campbell-led staff that saw a turnaround from 3-13-1 in 2021 to a group that won 27 games over the past two seasons, captured consecutive NFC North crowns, won two playoff games and advanced to the NFC Championship game following the 2023-24 campaign.
"Here's how I sum up leadership, it's really one word – it's influence," Glenn said prior to the Lions' loss to the Commanders in the divisional round last Saturday. "And everyone I come in contact with, I want to influence them in some kind of positive way, and I don't take that for granted when it comes to players because that's my responsibility. It's almost the same as my children. I want to make sure everybody that I come in contact with – that when they leave A.G., they have something positive to say and it's not always going to be like that because I do get pissed off at people, too. But to me, that's what I want to impart on every player I come across, even the players that end up leaving here. I want to impart something positive into them so as they go about their way that I've taught them something that can make them a better person and a better player."
Glenn, working alongside Campbell in New Orleans, oversaw the Saints' secondary from 2016-20 on Sean Payton's staff. Glenn helped mentor an impressive group that included CBs Marshon Lattimore and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and safeties Marcus Williams and Von Bell. The Saints finished No. 3 in INTs in 2017 (20), and T1 in INTs (18) and T3 in takeaways (26) in 2020.
Favoring play style over playbook, Glenn owns more than 25 years of experience in the National Football League including playing, front office and coaching experience. As a player, he learned under perhaps the NFL's greatest program builder in Bill Parcells. Over 15 NFL seasons with the Jets, Texans (2002-04), Cowboys (2005-06) and Jaguars (2007), Glenn finished with 41 INTs and his 6 INT-return TDs are tied for 21st in league history. He scored 8 career TDs, recorded 661 tackles and 167 pass defenses.
As a coach, he tasted success under Payton in New Orleans before moving to Detroit with Campbell and helping to oversee a dramatic turnaround. He is an intense competitor who will challenge players and is unyielding in his belief in the process.
"I'm a coach – I just happen to be on defense," he said earlier this month in January. "I understand offense just as well as a number of people. So, if you're going to hire me, you're going to hire a coach. You're not going to hire a defensive coach. I'm going to talk to the offense just as much as I'm going to talk to the defense."
A Humble, TX, native, Glenn earned his bachelor's degree in business management from Texas A&M and was a two-time All-American with the Aggies. He and his wife, Devaney, have a son, Aaron II, and two daughters, Tristen and Rheagan.
