Jets Star Embracing New Position Coach

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh’s premature firing may have destined the 2024 campaign to disaster, but the move wasn’t made without cause. Between a lack of discipline, disasters under center, and the media circus that overshadowed much of his regime, plenty went wrong in East Rutherford.

But Saleh is still one of the top defensive minds in the sport, and his track record of developing players on his side of the ball has helped retain optimism well after his dismissal.

Among the success stories are linebackers Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood. The former broke out under Saleh’s watch, ascending to All-Pro status next to veteran C.J. Mosley. The latter picked up the slack when Mosley went down with an injury in 2024.

Sherwood quickly became one of the best – and most important – players on New York’s defense. Keeping him on the right developmental track is integral to next year’s unit meeting expectations.

An obstacle on that path is the coaching turnover after Saleh (and eventually Jeff Ulbrich) was fired. Linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg was a victim of those moves.

New head coach Aaron Glenn replaced him with Aaron Curry. The early returns seem to be favorable, with Sherwood praising the Jets’ new position coach on June 12.

“In our linebacker meetings room, he [Curry] has been super interactive with us, he listens to us. He helps us relate our new defense to our last defense so it’s easier for us,” Sherwood said.

Curry is a well-respected position coach who has worked under former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and, more recently, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. That’s an excellent pairing to learn from, and that pedigree isn’t lost on Glenn, who’s attempting to build a culture in East Rutherford.

Sherwood, meanwhile, took his breakout campaign to free agency, where New York retained his services for three years and $45 million. By keeping him in the building, the Jets are striving both for continuity and growing trust between regime and roster. Sherwood played well and he was rewarded, handsomely.

He’ll hope that with Curry’s guidance, he can make good on his new deal and play a pivotal role in the middle of New York’s defense.