The real reason Woody Johnson and the Jets won't fire Aaron Glenn

The New York Jets understood that instant success likely wasn’t realistic when they hired Aaron Glenn as their new head coach this offseason. Despite Glenn’s confident tone and bold promises early on, expectations were always tempered.

Few expected the Jets to be legitimate contenders in 2025, and most were willing to give Glenn time to establish his identity and culture. But at the very least, there was an expectation of basic competence. No one thought the Jets would be the worst team in the NFL this season.

However, through six weeks, that's exactly the position the Jets find themselves in, and Glenn has been forced to shoulder a lot of the blame. The Jets' early-season struggles have even led some to question if Glenn will even survive the year as head coach.

While nothing is ever certain with this franchise, all signs point to Glenn’s job being safe no matter how the season ends. And the person most responsible for that appears to be owner Woody Johnson.

Woody Johnson reportedly has no plans to fire Aaron Glenn

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported on Friday that the Jets have no plans to fire Glenn either midseason or in the offseason. A large part of the reason for that, unsurprisingly, comes down to money.

The Jets reportedly made Glenn the highest-paid head coach in franchise history this past offseason, more than Robert Saleh, who was said to be making around $5 million annually.

If the Jets were to fire Glenn, Johnson would still owe his head coach a substantial salary for the next four years, in addition to whatever they’d have to pay his replacement. It seems clear that Johnson has little appetite for taking on that financial burden.

The Jets are committed to being patient with the former Pro Bowl cornerback despite the team's sluggish start. Glenn continues to liken his situation to the one he faced in Detroit, where Dan Campbell went 3-13-1 in his first year as Lions head coach.

It's a fair comparison in some regards, but it's also accurate to say that this Jets roster is undoubtedly more talented than the one Campbell inherited with the Lions. This is not a good Jets team, but they should be better than 0-6.

Part of the reason they're not is due to Glenn's own decisions. From his unrelenting loyalty to Justin Fields to highly questionable in-game decision-making and disastrous pressers, Glenn has done himself no favors over the last few weeks.

The Jets rank 28th in both offensive and defensive EPA. They've been outscored by a combined 65 points in the first three quarters of games this season. They didn't record their first takeaway until Week 6 and possess the worst turnover differential in the NFL.

It would've been hard to fathom the sheer thought of Glenn being a one-and-done coach just a few weeks ago, and while it's highly unlikely to happen, it's already starting to become a legitimate conversation.

If the Jets finish with one or two wins and hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, there will be questions about whether this staff should be the ones to make the selection — and those will be valid questions.

The Jets appear willing to give Glenn plenty of time to silence his critics and turn the season around, but the fan base’s patience is wearing thin. The next few weeks could go a long way in shaping not only the story of this Jets season, but the perception of Glenn’s first year as head coach.