On Sunday, Aaron Glenn’s New York Jets faced off against the Cleveland Browns only days after the team shockingly traded its defensive stars and began its long-term rebuild.
At the trading deadline on Tuesday, the Jets amassed draft picks to construct its future by moving former first round draft picks Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams to the Colts and Cowboys, respectively.
While it’s not “The Purge” former Jets GM Mike Maccagnan put head coach Todd Bowles through after the 2015 season by releasing a slew of veterans and drafting poorly, the trades made by GM Darren Mougey signaled the reality of where the team is and what they have to do to get to where they want to be.
The Jets’ trades netted them three additional first-round picks and one second-round pick in the next two drafts, which means the team now has eight total picks in the first two rounds in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts.
The moves also means that this season is a non-playoff one (again) and scouts will be logging many, many miles traveling to college football games across the country this year.
But most significantly, the trades present a opportunity for head coach Aaron Glenn to actually construct a team through the draft, a chance rarely afforded to Black head coaches in the NFL.
While some Black coaches, like Tony Dungy and Mike Tomlin, were give the time and chance to build and develop a team, many others were placed in the “clean-up” role where they stewarded the ship until another (white) coach replaced him and was bestowed with the chance denied to his predecessor.
Often times those Black coaches were denied the chance to draft and develop star players, especially quarterbacks.
Glenn, as it stands right now, appears to have been given this chance despite his team being 2-7 after Sunday’s win over Cleveland.
The Jets haven’t quit on their first-year head coach and were competitive in every game outside of the ones against the Bills and Cowboys. In the game on the road against the Bengals, they never quit, scored 23 points in the 4Q and won in a come-from-behind victory.
Even more impressively, that victory came after team owner Woody Johnson publicly ripped QB Justin Fields.
But Glenn rallied the team to an improbable win and after Sunday’s victory, he’s led the Jets to back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
True, it was against the Bengals and Browns, but a win is a win, especially when you’re sitting at the bottom of the NFL power rankings.
Glenn still has half a season remaining, and he should be given the opportunity to influence and develop the team’s future after this season.
Detroit gave that chance to Dan Campbell, who went 8-20-1 in his first two seasons before going 9-8, 12-5 and 15-2 in his next three.
Glenn, Campbell’s former defensive coordinator, should be afforded with the similar time and trust, especially as the Jets have not quit and a coach can’t be judged in one season, particularly after trading away two of its brightest stars.
Unless the Jets miraculously win out, this season won’t amount to much.
But for head coach Aaron Glenn, it’s a season that should lay the foundation for what so many Black head coaches in the NFL have lacked- the opportunity to build a team from the ground up.
Glenn deserves that chance, so please give it to him.
