Aaron Glenn’s short stint with the New York Jets is already drawing heavy criticism just two months in. The team remains winless at 0-7, their offense sits near the bottom at 27th in scoring, and their defense has given up the seventh-most points in the league.
So far, Glenn’s attempt to spark a cultural turnaround hasn’t shown results. According to Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, he might want to take a page out of Dan Campbell’s playbook.
“It’s been really entertaining watching what the Lions have done since Dan Campbell took over,” Edelman said on the Dudes on Dudes podcast. “But people forget—it didn’t start pretty.”
Edelman pointed to Campbell’s journey in Detroit as an example Glenn could learn from. “For coaches like Aaron Glenn and the Jets, it’s all about building that culture,” he explained. “The Jets are far from that right now, but it takes time. Thankfully, Detroit gave Campbell that time.”
Campbell’s debut season in 2021 was brutal—the Lions went 3-13, and critics doubted the decision to trade away Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff. But patience paid off. In year two, Detroit finished 9-8, marking their first winning record in five years and setting the foundation for the resurgence fans see today.
Now, the Lions have become a consistent NFC contender. Though a Super Bowl appearance still eludes them, the team’s mindset has completely shifted. The “why not us?” attitude has taken root, reviving the competitive spirit Detroit hasn’t seen since the 1990s. Under Campbell’s leadership, that fire doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon.
Meanwhile, the Jets have plenty of raw talent with stars like Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, and Breece Hall, but they lack the unity and determination to make it work. Owner Woody Johnson even fueled controversy by criticizing quarterback Justin Fields, implying Glenn’s struggles stem from having to work with “a quarterback like that.”
That public frustration only reinforces the perception that the Jets are stuck at the bottom of the league. Unless the organization commits to real cultural change and gives Glenn the space to build, their losing ways are unlikely to end.
