NBC says Jets' Aaron Glenn ranks firmly among worst coaches in NFL

The New York Jets are operating on a knife-edge in the 2026 season, as there is a very real possibility that head coach Aaron Glenn ends up getting fired if there is not major progress shown. Glenn's stock appears to be as low as it has ever been.

Even after an offseason that shows signs of starting to get things turned around, some analysts think Glenn is in way too deep a hole to dig himself out. Long story short, Glenn needs a turnaround in the worst way.

Glenn ranked 22nd in Patrick Daugherty's annual NBC head coach rankings, and everyone below him is only there because they are new hires. Unsurprisingly, the Jets' defensive ineptitude and lack of forced turnovers were the biggest reasons for him being ranked right at the bottom.

While Daugherty did try to acknowledge that Glenn was put in a near-impossible situation due to the lack of talent augmented by the trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, he believes that is not a good enough excuse to let him completely skate for how bad 2025 looked.

Jets' Aaron Glenn ranked as worst non-first year head coach in NFL

Glenn's 3-14 record can be explained by having one of the worst quarterback rooms in the league, spearheaded by Justin Fields. Between that and a roster that was as bad as physically possible before the end of the season, Glenn extinguished much of the goodwill he came to New York with.

The biggest error Glenn made was believing that he could come right in and immediately start coaching Robert Saleh's old guys to success. What he found out is that so many of his players did not fit in his new defense. Being as stubborn as he was with the media likely didn't endear him to them during a tough period of losing.

There are signs that things are trending in the right direction, however. The NFL's player satisfaction survey showed that the Jets enjoy being coached by Glenn, free agency brought in multiple impact starters at positions of need, and Geno Smith should be a much more efficient upgrade at the quarterback spot.

Glenn knows he doesn't have a very long leash heading into his second season, and unless his plan for improvement manifests into wins in a very short timeframe, his desire to get the Jets back on track may not be enough to keep him employed.