Aaron Glenn takes responsibility for biggest mistake in first year with Jets

Training Camp is in full swing for the New York Jets as the franchise enters year two under the Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey regime. For the Jets, the hope is that year two is a massive improvement over what took place in year one, especially when looking at the head coach.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Glenn and the Jets in 2025, and as the team gets set for 2026, Glenn is looking back on what exactly went wrong and how it can be fixed this season.

During an appearance on The Carton Show, Glenn revealed that his biggest regret from last season was not calling plays on defense. The former Jets cornerback-turned head coach said it was "not a good decision" and went on to talk about his strengths as a defensive play-caller.

For Glenn, these comments are the first real sign that the second-year head coach is learning from his mistakes as he now enters a crucial year as the defensive play caller.

Aaron Glenn takes accountability for not calling New York Jets defense last season

Of all the things Glenn could look back on in his first season as head coach and regret, it makes sense that his choice not to call plays on defense would be near the top of that list. Instead, Glenn put his trust in the veteran Steve Wilks, which, simply put, failed.

Wilks didn't even last the full season as defensive coordinator, as the veteran coach was fired after 14 games and a 3-11 record. Chris Harris then took over as the interim coach for the final three games.

The Jets' defense wasn't just bad last year; it was historically bad. New York became the only team in NFL history to finish a season with zero interceptions and tallied a record-low four total takeaways.

Fast forward to this upcoming season, and simply put, Glenn is putting his job and reputation on the line by calling the defense. Earlier in the offseason, Glenn called play-calling his "superpower" after electing to hire Brian Duker as defensive coordinator, making himself the play-caller.

The Jets have also invested a ton of money and draft capital on the defensive side of the football as Darren Mougey and company tried to overhaul last year's unit.

New York brought in Minkah Fitzpatrick, Demario Davis, T'Vondre Sweat, and Joseph Ossai among other key free agent/trade acquisitions, along with selecting David Bailey with the second overall pick and D'Angelo Ponds in the second round.

Glenn now has guys who fit his style of defense. High-motor players with physicality and aggressiveness in their game.

There are no excuses for Glenn as he enters year two at the helm. New York brought in plenty of playmakers and pieces who are stout against the run. Add to that the fact that Glenn is calling plays, which is what got him this job, and New York's defense should and needs to improve in 2026.

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