Post-Jets scrimmage marks ‘first time’ Aaron Glenn has felt this

Reporting from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, NJ

As a former player, scout, and now head coach, it always comes back to the New York Jets for Aaron Glenn. The Pro Bowl cornerback helped turn around the Jets organization back in the 1990s.

He’s hoping to do so again for the same organization heading into the 2025 season.

For the last 14 years, New York has been the league’s laughingstock. They have nine straight seasons of under .500 ball, with failed draft picks, poor coaching, and embarrassing moments across the organization.

Glenn has his work cut out for him.

Unlike many coaches, though, the coach is more prepared than ever for this role.

Aaron Glenn Given Proper Jets Welcome

For the better part of the last six months, Glenn has deflected any talk about the emotional side of becoming head coach of the team that drafted him as a player back in 1994.

That all changed Saturday morning.

Leading the team in their first Green and White scrimmage in front of a field full of fans, Glenn finally had the moment he had been pushing off for months.

“For the first time since I became a head coach, today was the first day that it really hit me,” Glenn said after practice. “It hit me once I heard the fans give the J-E-T-S chant, and I don’t know why, but it just hit me… I am so thankful.

“I’m thankful for this organization that gave me a shot. And I don’t know why fellas, man it hit me, and it hit me pretty hard. I just felt grateful, grateful to be in this position.”

Few players in NFL history get the chance to coach in the league. Even fewer get the opportunity to coach the team they were a fan favorite for.

Glenn is living that dream, though. When New York first opened up the role in January, the former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator made it clear that Florham Park was where he wanted to be more than anywhere else.

Other organizations around the league wanted him, but Glenn chose the Jets through it all.

Gang Green has been looking for a coach who understands the difficulty they have put their fanbase through over the last two decades – and can get them out of that rut.

Glenn has yet to coach a game as a member of the Jets. It will be over a month before that happens.

But the early returns on the 53-year-old are nothing short of positive. He has instilled a level of discipline that the players enjoy, and a system that empowers his coaching staff to help improve their young roster.

We won’t know if Glenn was the right hire as head coach just yet. But it’s clear that he wanted the job, and is ready to do whatever is needed to turn the Jets around.