The Jets woke up Tuesday morning with just two finalists for the positions that will define their uncertain future, following a more than month-long process that involved interviews with over thirty candidates and the appointment of a search firm headed by their former general manager.
Aaron Glenn is the defensive coordinator for the Lions, who are looking for a head coach. Lance Newmark, Commander’s associate general manager, for their available general manager position.
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Everyone can tell how the Jets feel about these two prospects and their chances of acquiring them after a protracted, exhaustive search because no additional interviews are planned. And you can tell how Glenn feels about this chance by the fact that he opted to do his first in-person interview with the Jets after interviewing with three other clubs that are still looking for a head coach: the Saints, Raiders, and Jaguars.
Newmark, who worked with Glenn throughout his 26-year tenure as a Lions executive before joining the Commanders for the 2024 season, appears to be the team that the Jets will pair Glenn with if Tuesday goes as planned.
As they attempt to mend a Jets roster and mentality that is experiencing the worst football run in the team’s history, there are concerns over both, as they will be heading their departments for the first time.
Glenn will be the fifth defensive coordinator to take the head coaching position for the first time in his career out of the six coaches Woody Johnson has employed since 2001. What distinguishes him from the five individuals who failed earlier?
As he rises to the top position in the Jets personnel department, Newmark is a total unknown. What would be his top priorities in 2024 as he reassembles a group full of talented players who appeared to be mismatched and inadequately mismanaged?
But the most crucial query of all, considering the Jets’ difficulties moving the ball over the past ten or more years?
Who is Glenn going to appoint to his offensive coordinator position?
This search made it quite evident that the Jets struggled to draw in premier offensive minds. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator with the Lions and widely considered the best first-time coach in the cycle, was not interviewed. They did not interview former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, Commanders play-caller Kliff Kingsbury, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, or Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen. They asked for a virtual interview with Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator for the Bills, but it never happened.
It’s difficult to imagine that the Jets didn’t request any of those highly respected offensive thinkers in a search that seemed to turn over every stone, including some that didn’t need to be turned over. Their offense rated 24th in 2024, the only time it has been ranked higher than 25th since 2015, as a result of their terrible outcomes from the past ten years of failing to locate a quarterback and create reliable offensive line performance.
It’s easy to understand why the Jets’ top offensive minds might be wary of the situation given their complex and uncertain quarterback situation, which includes Aaron Rodgers still under contract but considering retirement after a turbulent two seasons with the team, questions about owner Woody Johnson’s meddling, intense pressure to improve quickly after years of sluggish offensive play and the longest playoff drought in major North American sports, and the fact that the team has fired six offensive coordinators in the last nine seasons.
And with Glenn in charge, that doesn’t change. With Johnson taking over as head coach of the Bears on Monday, he will have to compete with other teams to locate the best applicant, including his old team, the Lions, who have a far more appealing job.
In the upcoming days and months, Glenn will have to respond to a number of inquiries regarding his potential as head coach. However, the first decision he makes—choosing the best offensive play caller—will be the most significant for him and, if all goes according to plan, will probably define his time here.
You can contact Andy Vasquez [email protected].
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