Aaron Glenn delivered the message when he arrived as the new Jets coach eight months ago.
“To any players who are here now, put your seat belts on and get ready for the ride,” Glenn said at his introductory press conference. “Listen, there’s going to be some challenges. But with challenges [comes] opportunity. But here’s what I do know: We’re the freaking New York Jets, so we’re built for this s–-t.”
We’re about to find out.
Glenn leads the Jets onto the MetLife Stadium field Sunday to face the Steelers in his first game as the coach. On the opposite sideline will be Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback he jettisoned shortly after he was hired.
The return of Rodgers to face his former team and the Jets debut of Justin Fields, who is also facing his former team, are juicy storylines. But this game is about Glenn more than anything else for Jets fans. Will he be the coach they have been searching for to restore the team to respectability?
“I’m just looking forward to getting a chance to go and play,” Glenn said Friday. “It’s regular season now. I’m looking forward to coaching my ass off on the sideline. I’m looking forward to our players playing their ass off play in and play out, and understanding it’s a one-play game every time they go out. I’m looking forward to that. It’s going to feel good. I know that.”
The Jets have been gearing up for this for months, hoping to erase the stench of an awful 2024 season when they went 5-12, and both coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were fired midseason.
After an extensive coaching search, the team hired Glenn. He made the decision to cut Rodgers and turn to Fields at quarterback. Glenn has spent the offseason trying to change the culture inside the organization and turn the Jets into winners.
Glenn was here in 1998 as a player when the Jets went to the AFC Championship game under Bill Parcells. He was part of the turnaround from 1-15 in 1996 to that playoff run two years later. Now, he’s trying to pull off a similar turnaround as head coach.
“What would define a successful season?” Glenn said. “I want to be a team to where the fans will look and say we’re proud of that team. And if they say that, I’ll be happy. I’ll be happy, because within that, I know that wins will come.”
