Aaron Glenn was settling into retirement from enjoying soccer and seeking to make his mark within the enterprise world and “be the best dad I can be.”
At some point, just a few years faraway from enjoying his final snap, he was watching a sport at dwelling.
“My wife tells me: ‘Baby, go coach. Go coach,’” Glenn added. “It was like a weight off my shoulders as a result of that is my ardour and it is OK to be a coach. Again then, I felt like I needed to be a businessman.
“However I am a soccer man.”
And now he is the pinnacle coach of the crew that drafted him within the first spherical in 1994.
“I wear glasses now,” he stated with an enormous smile.
The 52-year-old Glenn performed cornerback in the course of the first eight seasons of a 15-year NFL profession with New York. After getting spouse Devaney’s blessing, he referred to as Invoice Parcells, his former coach with the Jets and nonetheless a mentor, and advised him he needed to get into teaching.
“He said: ‘No, you’re not going to coach. You’re going to scout,’” Glenn stated. “I stated, ‘I don’t need to scout.’ He stated, ‘Well, that’s what you’re going to do as a result of I believe you may have an opportunity to be a head coach and the most effective head coaches are actually the most effective evaluators.’
“So I took his recommendation, in all probability the most effective recommendation I’ve had since coming again on this league.”
The New York Jets reportedly have employed Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to be the crew’s subsequent head coach.
Glenn joined the Jets as a scout in 2012, then labored his approach up the teaching ranks as an assistant with Cleveland, New Orleans after which Detroit, the place he was the defensive coordinator the final 4 seasons and helped the once-lowly Lions develop into a winner.
And it is precisely what he expects to do now that he is again dwelling with the Jets.
In entrance of a packed auditorium that included a number of former Jets gamers, together with onetime teammates Wayne Chrebet and Glenn Foley, Glenn set the tone with reflection, gratitude, clear ardour and a leveled measure of emotion.
“To any player that’s here now, put your seatbelts on and get ready for the ride,” he stated. “Listen, there are going to be some challenges, but with challenges gets opportunity. But here’s what I do know: We’re the freakin’ New York Jets. We’re built for this (stuff).”
Neither he nor Mougey downplayed the enormity of the duty at hand, which is popping round a franchise that has the NFL’s longest lively playoff drought at 14 consecutive seasons.
However additionally they made it clear they’re up for the expectations.
“To the Jets fans,” Mougey stated, “You have my word that AG and I are going to pour our hearts and souls into this job and do everything we can to get a Super Bowl back to this team.”
Proprietor Woody Johnson insisted the Jets bought it proper with their latest leaders, each of whom had been employed after prolonged and exhaustive searches — not less than 15 candidates for every.
“When they came back for their second interviews, it was pretty apparent to us who the leaders were,” Johnson stated.
The 41-year-old quarterback hasn’t determined whether or not he desires to play a twenty first season, and it isn’t clear if the Jets will need him below middle transferring ahead. Glenn stated he already has texted Rodgers and there can be discussions with him — in addition to different gamers on the roster — within the close to future.
“I can’t tell you how long that process will be, but the thing is, we’re going to make sure we get the right answer,” Glenn stated. “And we’re not going to rush to this answer. We’re going to get the right answer.”
Glenn additionally advised reporters later that “this thing is not about Aaron Rodgers,” saying it is a big-picture strategy with the give attention to the whole crew.
“It’s about the players and we have a good foundation of players here right now that we’re going to continue to add to,” Mougey stated. “And we’re going to give those players everything they need to be successful and reach their potential.”
Mougey recalled being a part of the pinnacle teaching search in Denver, the place he was the assistant GM for 3 years, in 2023 and being impressed by Glenn’s interview. The Broncos, who ended up hiring Sean Payton, requested the candidates what their first crew assembly could be like. Mougey stated Glenn, reasonably than simply reciting phrases, requested in the event that they needed to see it.
“So he pushed back, he sat up and he delivered a powerful message, like, when he finished, we’re all kind of looking around like, wow!” Mougey recalled. “And as we went on through the search, because he was one of the first guys we interviewed in that search, we kept going back to it like, damn, he killed that thing.”
And now the 2 can be working to ship victories to a franchise and fan base sorely in want of them.
“Bro, we’re in this together,” Glenn stated, wanting over to Mougey. “We’re going to do some magical things here, bro.”
