Before his first game as coach, Aaron Glenn said he hoped “fans will look and say we’re proud of that team.”
At 1-7, proud is probably not the word of choice for the Gang Green faithful. Unhappy, angry and frustrated might be more accurate given the team’s performance this year.
And it doesn’t help that the Jets traded away two of their best players in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline on Tuesday.
When asked what he would say to the fans — who also got slapped with a season ticket price increase — after another disappointing season, Glenn said his views have not changed.
“I want this to be a team that the fans are proud of,” Glenn said. “I never said that we’re going to be proud of them right now. At some point, I want this to be a team that the fans are proud of and I still stick with that.
“This is the team that the fans will be proud of. I’m not going to get into the patience and all the type of crap that you always hear, but I will tell you this, our guys are working. We are going to continue to work and again, I’m going to stand by that statement. Don’t let go of the rope, you guys heard me say that before, and just to continue to watch the work.”
Glenn also said when he was hired, “get used to winning, that’s all I’ve been a part of my last couple of years,” highlighting his success as the Lions’ defensive coordinator. But after eight games, the Jets decided it would be better to punt on the 2025 season.
Gardner and Williams were both traded in two separate deals on Tuesday. The Jets first traded Gardner to the Colts for two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and Adonai Mitchell. They later dealt Williams to the Cowboys for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
The names involved in the Jets’ fire sale left many people stunned. Gardner and Williams have a combined three first-team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl selections between them. They both were the catalysts to a Jets defense that finished in the top five statistically from 2022 to 2024.
The Jets just signed Gardner to a four-year, $120 million extension in July, which made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. But as the saying goes, “everybody’s got a price,” including the Jets.
“Opportunity,” Glenn said, on what changed from July to now regarding Gardner. “No one goes into this thing trying to get rid of players, especially good players like that. But when these things come across your table and you sit there and talk about and you get the type of compensation that you get, you really have to think about it.
“That’s with anything you know. That’s how this game is. It’s not going to change. Both of those guys have great opportunities where they’re going, and I talked to both of those guys, and it was good to have those guys on the Jets, but that’s how this league is.”
Now, within a week, the Jets have traded Gardner, Williams and nickel cornerback Michael Carter II.
But the Jets brass insist they are not waving the white flag on the season.
“I wouldn’t call it a teardown,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said on Tuesday night.
Even with those three key pieces on the field, the Jets’ defense has struggled after Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks took over this season. They rank 21st in yards (335.4) and 27th in points allowed (27.6).
The benefit to all the trades is that the Jets will have flexibility for the future to find a franchise quarterback in either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft. They could also package those assets and trade for a signal caller during the offseason.
The Jets still have nine games remaining, but Glenn says his focus is on trying to defeat the Browns and get their second victory of the season.
“We won a game last week with Sauce not there,” Glenn said. “We know how good of a player he is. We know how good of a player Quinnen is. We’re moving forward. We have a good amount of draft capital that we’re looking forward to.”
