Aaron Glenn's Jets coaching search just hit an embarrassing new low

This might be a new rock bottom.

Justin Fried

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn / Al Bello/GettyImages

Just when it felt like the New York Jets’ coaching search couldn’t possibly get any more embarrassing, they somehow found a way to lower the bar again. No matter how many times you think they’ve reached the bottom, the Jets always seem to find a way to uncover a trapdoor beneath it.

That's because The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported Tuesday night that the Jets apparently reached out to former NFL head coach Jon Gruden about the possibility of joining Aaron Glenn's staff.

Reaching out to Gruden about a serious NFL coaching position in 2026 is already highly questionable on its own, but Rosenblatt added another layer to it by reporting that Gruden “wasn’t interested in the job” anyway.

Yes, Jon Gruden — the same coach who couldn’t land an NFL job right now if his life depended on it — reportedly turned down the Jets. The only reasonable conclusion here is that Barstool Sports must pay extremely well, right?

Jon Gruden rejects the Jets in the team's latest coaching embarrassment

The Jets are in the market for a veteran offensive coach following the surprise firing of offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on Tuesday. Whether the Jets parted ways with Engstrand or not, they were always going to be sniffing around that market.

The odds-on favorite for that role is former NFL head coach Frank Reich, whom the Jets were reportedly close to hiring before Engstrand’s firing. Now, the team will have to conduct a full search — including compliance with the Rooney Rule — before any hire can be finalized.

It’s likely the Jets reached out to Gruden about a similar role, possibly even one that would have involved calling offensive plays. The problem is there’s zero football-based evidence to suggest Gruden should be part of an NFL coaching staff in the year 2026.

The last time Gruden enjoyed any real success at the NFL level was more than 17 years ago as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His three-year return stint with the Raiders was largely an unmitigated disaster, highlighted by a brutal draft record and a humiliating exit that ended with his resignation amid scandal.

Even if you completely set aside the offensive emails and controversial comments that ended Gruden’s run in Las Vegas — and even if you ignore the fact that he’s currently in a legal battle with the NFL — you’re still left with a coach who hasn’t made a meaningful positive impact on a football team in nearly two decades.

At this stage, he’s no more viable as an NFL coaching candidate than Rex Ryan is. That’s what makes this so embarrassing. The Jets reaching out to Gruden at all is bad enough, but the fact that he rejected them feels like a new low, even by this organization’s standards.

Maybe Glenn and the Jets will surprise the league and overachieve with whatever roster and ragtag group of coaches they assemble this offseason. But for now, the Jets are the laughingstock of the NFL once again, and it’s not hard to see why when reports like this keep surfacing.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.