The Aaron Glenn era in New York has been quiet. Just the kind of under-the-radar work the first-time head coach prefers. His free-agent moves, like adding veteran LB Josey Jewell and shoring up the offensive line with Tyron Smith, were calculated, not flashy. The draft brought potential immediate contributors, including Brock Bowers, a TE who could help fix the Jets’ red-zone struggles. But the biggest question isn’t about roster upgrades, it’s about mindset.

As ESPN’s Rich Cimini pointed out, “Glenn also needs to work on the mindset.” Glenn, who spent years under Dan Campbell in Detroit, knows all about instilling toughness. Campbell’s Lions were built on a ‘bite-your-kneecaps-off’ mentality, something the Jets desperately need. Cimini didn’t mince words: “Glenn also needs to work on the mindset. This team lacked killer instinct in 2024—a franchise-record six losses after leading in the fourth quarter. When they were down, they usually stayed down.” Fixing that won’t happen overnight. But Glenn, shaped by his years under Dan Campbell in Detroit, knows a thing or two about building toughness.

And now, his latest big move as Jets coach reveals exactly how he plans to do it. By betting on the right players to lead the way. That bet became crystal clear this week when the Jets made their biggest statement yet – locking up two homegrown stars Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to massive extensions that scream one thing: this rebuild will be built on the foundation they already have.

As Albert Breer reported on Sports Illustrated: “Garrett Wilson signs a 4-year $130 million extension. Sauce Gardner signs a 4-year $120.4 million extension. Those guys now are both locked up through 2030 – so through the prime of their careers.” It was the first real clue to how Aaron Glenn, shaped by his time under Dan Campbell in Detroit, plans to rebuild the Jets. “I think it’s informative to look back at Aaron Glenn’s experience in Detroit,” Breer said. Back then, Campbell and Glenn leaned on inherited players like Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow – the “OGs” – to anchor their culture.

Now, Glenn sees the same potential in New York. Unlike those early Lions teams, these Jets already have “way more young talent”—from Wilson and Gardner to Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall. After nine weeks in the offseason program, Glenn and GM Darren Mougey didn’t just see talent; they saw pillars.

Yet for all the optimism surrounding Glenn’s vision, the hard truth remains: first-time head coaches rarely get the benefit of the doubt, and the outside world hasn’t forgotten it.

Aaron Glenn’s uphill battle in New York

The excitement around Aaron Glenn’s vision is real, but so are the doubts. Turning around the Jets was never going to be easy, especially for a first-time HC stepping into a franchise that’s spent years stuck in its chaos. Glenn knows there will be growing pains. Fans know it too. And the rest of the league? They’re watching closely, waiting to see if he’s ready.

CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin recently ranked all 32 NFL head coaches, and Glenn landed at No. 28. The reasoning wasn’t personal, just the reality of the job. “Returning to the same franchise with which he started his playing career, Glenn has no shortage of spirit, which fits right in as part of Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions staff,” Benjamin wrote. “His greatest challenge will be stabilizing, not further dramatizing, such a troubled franchise.”

It’s a fair point. The Jets haven’t just been bad; they’ve been messy. Last season was supposed to be different – Aaron Rodgers‘ return was meant to flip the script. Instead, things spiraled further. Now, Glenn and Mougey are the ones cleaning it up. Ranked 28th? It might sting, but it’s not unexpected. First-time coaches rarely get the benefit of the doubt, especially in a market like New York.

What matters now isn’t where Glenn starts – it’s where he goes from here. So far, the offseason has been steady: no drama, no shortcuts, just the kind of quiet, purposeful moves that suggest he’s building something real. If this new culture takes hold, if the young core he’s betting on delivers, next year’s ranking could look very different.

For now, Glenn’s job is simple: prove the skeptics wrong. And if his Detroit years taught him anything, it’s that toughness – the kind that turns underdogs into contenders – starts with blocking out the noise.