Jets head coach Aaron Glenn knows that his position is tenuous. It’s the nature of the beast. Jerry Glanville, the colorful former head coach of the then Houston Oilers (1985-89) and Atlanta Falcons (1990-93) famously said to an official that the NFL stands for “Not For Long,” after he disagreed with a call.
As the 2026 season begins with training camps opening this week, the average tenure of an NFL head coach is 3.2 years. The median is two years. Job security is precarious. Glenn is in his second year leading the Jets. Last season, his first ever as an NFL head coach, the Jets finished the 17-game league schedule 3-14 — last in the AFC East and tied with the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans for the worst record among the 32 teams.
The Jets brought in respected veterans in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, nose tackle David Onyemata, and linebacker Demario Davis. In April, they had what on paper is as good as any team’s draft, selecting edge rusher David Bailey (Texas Tech) with the No. 2 overall pick, tight end Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) at No. 16, wide receiver Omari Cooper in the No. 30 slot, and Cooper’s University of Indiana teammate — defensive back D’Angelo Ponds — in the second round with the No. 50 pick.
All of these rookies are expected to impact winning and be central to the rebuild of a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs for 15 straight seasons, the longest consecutive postseason absence among all teams of the four major North American sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL). But perhaps the most significant addition is 35-year-old quarterback Geno Smith, who began his career with the Jets as a second-round pick (No. 39) in 2013.
“I know that there’s a lot of work to be done,” Smith said speaking to the media on Tuesday at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, New Jersey. “And I’m extremely focused on making sure that we do the right thing as far as the process goes. And let everything else handle itself as I’ve always done.”
Now in his 14th season, Smith started a combined 29 games for the Jets in 2013 and 2014, but injuries and immaturity derailed him. In 2015, Smith played in just one game, his season marred by a locker room altercation with a teammate, defensive end IK Enemkpali, with the QB sustaining a broken jaw. The following campaign saw Smith appear in only one game. Backing up Ryan Fitzpatrick, he entered in Week 7 to replace the ineffective starter, only to suffer a season-ending torn ACL.
He subsequently spent the 2017 season with the Giants and 2018 with the Los Angeles Chargers prior to a career resurrection in Seattle. Smith saw minimal time under center for the Seahawks in 2019 and 2020, playing in five games total, but as the full-time starter in 2022, he was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and made the Pro Bowl. He was a Pro Bowler again the following season and in 2024, throwing for 4,320 yards — fourth best in the league. But the Seahawks traded Smith to the Raiders in March of last year and signed former Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold, who steered them to a Super Bowl win in February.
With the Raiders having a disastrous season and holding the No. 1 pick in the draft in the midst of an overhaul of their coaching staff and roster, and the Jets seeking a stabilizing presence at quarterback, they acquired Smith from Las Vegas for a sixth-round pick.
With running back Breece Hall, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the rookie skill players, and a sturdy offensive line, Smith and the Jets’ offense could be explosive.
