Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn agrees to terms with Jets to be head coach: AP sources

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 15: Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn of the Detroit Lions claps before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field on December 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Former Jet returns to Florham Park as head coach
What we know:
NEW YORK - Aaron Glenn, who played eight seasons for the New York Jets and is a member of their All-Time Four Decade Team, has been named the team's new head coach. Glenn, 52, previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and has a well-respected reputation as a coach. His hiring marks the third Black head coach in the franchise’s history.
Glenn would become the sixth first-time full-time head coach to be hired by the Jets since the end of the 2000 season. He joins Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Bowles and Robert Saleh. All had defensive backgrounds, with the lone coaching hire by New York during that span with an offensive background being Adam Gase in 2019.

Detroit Lions defencive coordinator Aaron Glenn follows the play during the second half of an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Sunday, January 7, 2024. (Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto v
Interview process included more than 10 candidates
The backstory:
Glenn’s return to the Jets comes after an extensive coaching search that included interviews with more than 10 candidates.
Glenn, who played 15 seasons in the NFL, was the only candidate to receive a second interview. He has also coached for the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Detroit Lions after retiring as a player.
Jets legend thrilled with new hire
What they're saying:
Joe Namath, the quarterback who led the Jets to their only Super Bowl victory, in 1969, was pleased with the hiring of Glenn.
"I’m hoping all @nyjets fans are as thrilled as my family and I are that Aaron Glenn is our new Head Coach," Namath wrote on X shortly after the news broke. "I wish the season would start next week!"
What's next:
The major tasks for Glenn and the eventual new GM will be trying to build a roster that returns the Jets to the playoffs after a long absence and determining whether the franchise will have quarterback Aaron Rodgers back next season — if he still wants to play — and possibly beyond.
The 41-year-old four-time MVP, who’s the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, has one year of nonguaranteed money left on his contract with the Jets.
New York also will have to make a decision on wide receiver Davante Adams, who’s scheduled to make $35.64 million in each of the next two years. The Jets also have several key players scheduled to be free agents, including linebacker Jamien Sherwood, cornerback D.J. Reed and tight end Tyler Conklin.
The Source: This article was written using information from The Associated Press.