The Jets had their first two rookie minicamp practices this weekend under first-year coach Aaron Glenn.
The sessions looked a lot different than those in previous years.
Unlike former coach Robert Saleh, Glenn actively coached and interacted during 11-on-11 drills. Glenn also observed and spoke with rookies during positional drills.
“For me to get a chance to go to every position and be able to give my opinions on how they should do things and try to help those guys be successful and that’s the fun thing about coaching,” Glenn said. “That’s the fun thing about my development as a coach to be able to go with the quarterbacks and talk to those guys, the running backs, the D-line, the linebackers, so that was the change of being able to move around the field and be able to coach every position.”
This is Glenn’s first opportunity to lead an NFL team, but he has exhibited leadership qualities before at his previous stop. In 2022, when he was the defensive coordinator of the Lions, Glenn delivered a powerful speech during HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ in front of the entire team, discussing how “‘Enough is enough’” when it came to losing.
Lions coach Dan Campbell empowered his assistant coaches to speak in front of the team, preparing Glenn to become the Jets coach.
“I just talked about that before from being DB coach to a coordinator, to a coordinator, to the head coach,” Glenn said. “I give a lot of credit man, to Dan Campbell for putting me in positions to be head coach for the Lions on certain situations and for him putting me in the front of the room for him asking my advice on how practice should go, so it was a really a seamless transition for me to script practice.
“It was a seamless transition for me to be in front of the team, so all those things he’s done may actually prepped me to be in this position, so I’ll give him a lot of credit for that.”
Glenn comes to a Jets organization in a similar situation to when he became Detroit’s defensive coordinator in 2021. The Lions were a laughingstock of the NFL and made the playoffs three times from 2000-20, losing in the wild-card round each time.
But following its 3-13-1 season in 2021, Detroit finished with a winning record three seasons in a row. In 2022, Campbell and the Lions, with the help of Glenn, finished 9-8. In the last two seasons, the Lions won the NFC North, including last year, when they ended the year with the best record in the league at 15-2.
The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, the longest postseason drought in North American sports. They also haven’t finished with a winning record since 2015.
After he accepted the Jets coaching position, Glenn discussed the importance of building a winning culture and laying the foundation for that. His experience with Campbell and the Lions could provide context on how he plans to do that during his tenure with the Jets.
“I think he in the back of his mind, he was prepping me to be in this position,” Glenn said about Campbell. “But also, I think he knew I had the ear of the team also, not just the defense because I vibe with those guys on the offense quite a bit.
“I think I’ve said this before, every morning at 7:30, J-Mo [Jameson Williams] was in my office and we would sit there and talk, so I do agree with that. I think it was a little bit of both now that I actually look back and just think about the positions that he put me in, but again, I give him so much credit for making this a seamless transition for me to stand here and be the head coach of this team.”
It’s too early to determine if Glenn’s tenure with the Jets will be successful. But he has already begun identifying a few players who could help the Jets succeed in 2025. During practice, second-round pick and tight end Mason Taylor and fourth-round wide receiver Arian Smith both flashed during Friday and Saturday’s practice.
Taylor routinely displayed his speed and quickness, along with his reliable hands. Smith showed his elusiveness and his ability to separate from defenders.
“I told those guys it really doesn’t matter where you’re from, even what you did,” Glenn said. “The thing is, they all have done a great job to get in the building, and once you get in the building, you have a shot.
“Once you get in the building, you have a shot, so I thought it was important for them to understand that. I thought it was important for them to understand the direction of what we’re trying to do in this camp, that it wasn’t a true physical camp, but there were three things I wanted to get out of those guys. What I want to know is, can they learn, one. Two, are they coachable, and three, can they play special teams, and I think a lot of those guys answered those questions, so that was my message to those guys, and I felt those guys did a really good job.”
