In 2022, Aaron Glenn was featured in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ as he addressed the players of his former team, the Detroit Lions. The video highlights his powerful speech as he reminds two of his players of what it felt like to be winners in college. This was meant to inspire a team that struggled badly with a 3-13 record in 2021. Now, as the new head coach of the New York Jets, Glenn faces a similar challenge and he is not messing around.

The Jets are finally clearing the runway for takeoff. After crashing their 2024 season and ending up with a dismal 5-12 record they brought in Aaron Glenn. In his introductory press conference on Monday, Glenn made a few things clear and even talked about what the future holds for their veteran QB Aaron Rodgers.

“We’re the freaking New York Jets, so we’re built for this s–-,” said Aaron Glenn while addressing the media. He let the players know that the emphasis will be on taking responsibility and having accountability. Addressing the fans, he mentioned, “Get used to winning.” While this may have been enough to have the Jets faithful brimming with excitement, Glenn is already walking the talk.

Just before they go into their 2025 offseason, Glenn is bringing in new people. After expressing his willingness to change the O-line to get results, the franchise has reportedly moved on from their tight ends coach, Ron Middleton, which means a change in the offing as to how the offense around Rodgers will operate next season. Though this hasn’t been officially confirmed.

The Jets have also done away with offensive line coach Keith Carter. But that is just the beginning of changes in the Jets’ offense.

In his first hire, Glenn has secured Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden as Carter’s replacement for the role of the OL coach. Heiden has spent his 12-year NFL coaching career primarily as a tight ends coach. He was with the Lions for two seasons as the tight ends coach after 10 seasons in Arizona.

The Jets are also on the lookout for a new offensive coordinator and Lions passing game coordinator Tenner Engstran has been linked with a move to New York. Engstrand, 42, has spent the last five seasons in various offensive assistant roles for the Detroit Lions. The last two campaigns saw him work as a pass-game coordinator under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

The Jets’ offense was miserable this season. They had 5275 total offensive yards, which ranked 24th in the league while their 1561 total rushing yards were placed at 31st.

They also had 363 rushing attempts (32nd overall) and on third down conversions had 83 total (tied 23rd overall). The turnover game was average, with 11 thrown interceptions (tied for 22nd overall) and 20 lost fumbles (tied for 19th overall). The offensive line allowed 40 sacks, tied for 16th overall.

Once the team’s new OC is confirmed, Glenn will have successfully revamped how the Jets’ offensive play will look next season. But will Aaron Rodgers be there to witness the new era?

The QB, who arrived from the Packers in 2023, seemed lost at various stages of the season and questions about his future linger. In November, when the Jets fell to the Colts at home, Rodgers’ post-game interview gave a sense of a man looking to motivate himself to go on despite the perils.

“I’m in my 20th year so I’ve figured out a way to do this for a long time so you’ve just got to remember why you fell in love with this game,” he said. “This will be definitely a week to clear all of our heads and come back and stick together.” But given the changes that the franchise has gone through since then, will he find that spark?

“Aaron Rodgers will be talked about,” Aaron Glenn said on Monday. “We’ve already texted that communication with Aaron Rodgers. And as we continue to look at the roster, we’ll make decisions accordingly. And that’s with a number of people on the team.”

Since going into the offseason, Aaron Rodgers has been out of the media glare. He hasn’t said anything about his future while the new HC and new GM Darren Mougey look at their roster carefully. They are trying to find the best players. And expect some more changes as we move deeper into the offseason. For Glenn, fixing the Jets more than Rodgers’ future remains the priority as he clarified.

“This thing is not about Aaron Rodgers. This is about the roster. And we plan on building the best roster we can,” he said. Well, he is already on his way to doing that with the coaching changes he is making in the offense and has also made a big move in the defenses with the hiring of Steve Wilks.

Aaron Glenn brings in new DC to get results

Last year, the Jets fired Robert Saleh, promoting DC Jeff Ulbrich as HC before firing him too once the season ended with a 5-12 win-loss record. When the former Lions DC took over as HC, he wanted someone with a wider experience. Steve Wilks perfectly fits that frame. Though he failed to shine as head coach of the Cardinals in 2018 and Panthers in 2022, Aaron Glenn has trusted him to change the franchise. But Glenn didn’t stop there.

Last season, the Jets had mixed results defensively. They did well against the pass, averaged against the run, and were below average when stopping points. But 128 missed tackles (5th overall) and 44.6% of drives ending in an offensive score (30th overall) underlines a problem.

With the likes of linebackers Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams, defensive linemen Quinnen Williams and Leonard Taylor III, and cornerbacks DJ Reed and Sauce Gardner, the Jets have the parts to build a solid defense and that will be the task ahead for Wilks.

In his press conference, Glenn said that wasn’t planning to call the defensive plays and it appears that responsibility now lies with Wilks. How he takes on the challenge remains to be seen. But for now, Aaron Glenn is offering fresh hope to a beleaguered fanbase with his flurry of changes.