Aaron Glenn has lived it before. A poor start to the season is what we’re talking about here. Back in 2021, during his first year as the Detroit Lions‘ defensive coordinator, Glenn endured an 0-8 start before eventually ending the season with 3–13–1 under Dan Campbell.

Fast forward to now, and Glenn is off to a 4-0 start. Only this time, he’s the first-year head coach of the New York Jets. Which naturally makes you wonder: Is Glenn on the head coach hot seat in his first year already? His poor record says: Yes. But for some reason, the Jets’ owner, Woody Johnson, might not fire the HC.

The reasons, of course, seem tangible as per the Jets beat reporter, Brian Costello. “No, I can’t envision a scenario where Aaron Glenn isn’t here next year,” Costello said Friday on the New York Post Sports podcast. “I just don’t see that happening. I haven’t gotten a strong enough, where I could report it, but I’ve heard what his salary is, and his salary is a lot lot lot lot lot more than I’ve ever heard a Jets head coach being paid.

“Just from the business perspective, is Woody Johnson really going to eat four years of a contract? I just can’t see it happening.” The Jets got the head coach they wanted all along. Earlier this year, Glenn agreed to terms on a multi-year deal and became the 22nd head coach of the Jets: The same team he played for eight seasons over two decades ago.

Glenn was a three-time All-Pro corner in his playing days. So, when the Jets brought him to run the show, the expectation was pretty clear: Clean up the mess that had been dragging this franchise down for years. The Jets have had just one winning season in the last 14 seasons. But fast forward to four weeks, and his squad is sitting at a rough 0-4.

Just like that, Glenn is already on the hot seat in year one only. Now, nobody really knows the exact numbers on his contract, but ESPN says it is a five-year deal. And if the reports about him being paid big are true, it is hard to see Woody Johnson swallowing four years of that contract just to cut ties this early.

Aaron Glenn might not want to endure a 0-5 start

“It’s not fun being 0-8,” Aaron Glenn recalled his first year as the Lions’ DC on Wednesday. “Man, you get ridiculed, you get talked about. I mean, people are after you in the worst way.” But what’s conflicting for Glenn is that he’s already dropped the first four games of this season. And if we’re being real, the first-year head coach might not want to drop the fifth one as well.

The Jets will play against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. In a what-if scenario, if Glenn and the Jets lose their Week 5 game, he would become the first head coach in the franchise history to kick off his tenure with a 0-5 record. That has not happened in over 60 years. And none of the 18 full-time head coaches before him ever did.

In navigating the unwanted history, Glenn recently sat down with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy. Dungy started his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a 0-5 skid, and no doubt he shared his experience with Glenn. “That really lifted me and helped me at the time when I was — not struggling, but you question yourself a little bit,” Dungy told ESPN.

“I was telling Aaron (Glenn) basically the same thing: You’re in a good system, you know what you’re doing, you believe in it and your players believe in it. You don’t have to change. Just keep pounding.” Dungy finished his coaching career with Pro Football Hall of Fame honors. But how Aaron Glenn and the Jets will bounce back remains to be seen. First things the head coach needs is to avoid 0-5.