Aaron Glenn drawing mentor comparisons from NY Jets players

Reporting from New York Jets HQ in Florham Park, NJ—When Aaron Glenn was first hired as head coach of the New York Jets, the obvious comparison for the former cornerback turned coach was his mentor, Hall-of-Famer Bill Parcells.

In his introductory press conference, Glenn retold a story of how Parcells helped him get his start in the league as a scout and coach following his Pro Bowl playing career.

Glenn also made it clear that while he has clear ties to the Hall-of-Famer, he would be his own man and coach. That was on display throughout offseason workouts.

As the team prepares for training camp, though, Glenn is showing plenty of Parcell-isms.

And the current roster isn’t complaining.

Jets’ New Coach Draws Top Comparisons

No one knows if Glenn will work out as head coach with the Jets. They have plenty of questions across the roster, and haven’t made the playoffs in 14 seasons.

There is a lot of work to do to fix Gang Green.

Through his first few months on the job, though, Glenn has earned the respect of the locker room. And the organization’s leaders are all on board with what New York’s coach is instilling.

For All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, what he is seeing out of Glenn isn’t just a comparison to Parcells, but to his old college coach in Nick Saban at Alabama.

“I’ve never been around Bill Parcells, but to see a guy exemplify all the stories I’ve heard of (Parcells), it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, I see what people are talking about,'” Williams said Tuesday during his media session. “Coach Glenn has every aspect of what I went through with coach (Nick) Saban and Parcells.”

At this point, comparing Glenn to Hall-of-Fame coaches like Saban and Parcells is a bit of a stretch. He hasn’t even suited up as head coach for a single game yet.

The fact that New York is as high on their new coach without having played a game, though, shows Glenn’s impact over the last few months.

Much like Parcells did when he took the Jets job in 1997, Glenn is taking over a team in complete disarray. The Hall-of-Fame coach led an eight-win turnaround in his first year.

Glenn may not get to that high of a difference (an eight-win turnaround in 2025 would leave the Jets with 13 wins), but he can still lead New York to major improvements across the board.

That’s what Williams and the rest of the Jets roster are hoping for at least.