The New York Jets endured yet another tough campaign last season in Aaron Glenn’s first year as head coach. The offense was as bad as the defense, and Glenn seemed to lose the locker room as morale sank to an all-time low with a 3-14 record.
There was much to learn from their poor run, and the head coach aims to capitalize on the wisdom he’s gained. How does he plan to move forward?
Jets HC Aaron Glenn Aims To Capitalize on Strategic Moves for 2026 NFL Season
The 2025 season left the Jets with more questions than answers. Toggling between Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook at quarterback, offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand couldn’t get much going, as the offense finished 29th in scoring.
Glenn, nonetheless, looks to learn from his mistakes this season, having made strategic hires to supplement his system. “There’s mistakes that I made that I won’t replicate this season,” he said in a press conference. “I feel really good about that.”
While he confirmed he’ll be taking over the defense’s playcalling duties in 2026, he hired Frank Reich to run the offense. “#Jets HC Aaron Glenn confirms he’ll call plays on defense,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on X.
“‘Play calling is my superpower, really.’ Missed doing it. Said he’ll still be a head coach involved in all three phases but wanted an OC ‘that had a lot of experience,’ which led him to Frank Reich.”
Reich is a well-known offensive mind around the NFL. He got his start as an offensive coordinator under Mike McCoy in San Diego in 2014, before joining Philadelphia in 2016, where he helped build Doug Pederson’s high-powered offense that won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season.
As a championship-winning OC, Reich landed the Indianapolis Colts’ head coaching gig in 2018. He saw early success in the city, going 37-28 in his first four years. However, a 3-5-1 run in 2022 saw him get fired after Week 9.
After a forgettable 1-10 stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2023, he has been away from the league. But as the new offensive coordinator of the Jets, Reich looks to reboot his career. The Jets’ offense ranked 29th per PFSN’s NFL Impact Metric.
There’s a lot of work to be done with an offense that scored an average of only 17.6 points per game last year. How they move forward at quarterback remains to be seen. Perhaps Fields can resurrect his career under Reich, who’s a proven offensive mind and quarterback coach.
Alternatively, Glenn and company could look to the 2026 NFL Draft for answers at the shot-caller position. First overall, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is likely the only prospect not at their disposal.
