Following what was a pristine 15-2 season in 2024, the Detroit Lions lost a pair of key coordinators, as OC Ben Johnson departed to take the head coaching role with the divisional rival Chicago Bears, while DC Aaron Glenn departed to take the head coaching role of the New York Jets.
So far, the fortunes of both teams couldn’t have been more different. Under Johnson, the Bears won the NFC North Division title and earned a trip to the NFL postseason, adding insult to injury to the Lions, who ultimately missed the postseason.
Meanwhile, Glenn and the Jets struggled, winning just three of 14 games and coming nowhere close to achieving a berth in the postseason.
Former Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn Tabbed For Potential NFL Coach Of The Year
Even though the Jets are projected to largely struggle this season, Glenn is projected to be in line to be named NFL Coach of the Year if he can get them to the NFL postseason.
According to Alex Kay of Bleacher Report, Glenn stands to benefit if his players can better adapt in the upcoming campaign.
“One candidate being slept on is Aaron Glenn. The New York Jets’ head coach is in the bottom half of the field with 30-1 odds, but Glenn’s path to the award is far clearer than most. He simply needs to guide Gang Green to a playoff appearance to win it.
There is plenty of precedent for the Coach of the Year award being given to the person who managed to lift a slumping franchise out of the gutter. Kevin Stefanski won two of the last six awards for his work with the Cleveland Browns, securing the hardware by guiding the downtrodden program to a pair of 11-win seasons and subsequent postseason berths in both 2020 and 2023.”
Kay then notes that the Jets have the longest NFL postseason drought of any team, but that he could be in line for the award if he were to help the club post a .500 record or more.
“New York hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2010, making the last of their back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances under Rex Ryan that season. Considering the Jets have been mired in the longest postseason drought of any NFL team by a large margin, it shouldn’t even take a double-digit number of wins for Glenn to win the award.”
“Glenn is the fourth head coaching hire New York has made since Ryan’s departure after the 2014 season and is already on the hot seat after a dismal 3-14 debut campaign, but he could secure his job and the Coach of the Year award with a .500 or better season that results in a Wild Card berth.”
Aaron Glenn Took Responsibility For The Jets Struggles
Following their dismal 3-14 campaign in 2025, Glenn said that their struggles ultimately landed at his feet as head coach.
“I put a lot of it on me as far as just the wins and losses,” he said in January. “And I would just, I will really say it like that. I put a lot of it on me, on the wins and losses, and I have to do a better job, and I’m not going to sit here and blame it on the roster, I’m not going sit here and blame it on the coaching staff.
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