Aaron Glenn always wanted to take flight with his former team.
During the opening remarks Monday of his introductory press conference in Florham Park, the former Lions defensive coordinator — who began his playing career in New York — revealed the Jets were at the top of his coaching wish list in this year’s hiring cycle.
“I wanted this job. I interviewed for a number of them, but I wanted this job,” Glenn, 52, said. “… I didn’t want to leave the building without shaking Woody [Johnson’s] hand and making sure we had a contract. So I’m just telling you now, everything else was already out of it. It was all about the Jets and it’s been that way from the beginning.”
Glenn interviewed for the Raiders, Saints, Jaguars and Bears vacancies this offseason.
The Jets hired Glenn as the 22nd head coach in franchise history last Wednesday following a successful run in Detroit, where he held the defensive coordinator post from 2021-24.
It’s a homecoming for the ex-NFL cornerback, who was originally drafted by the Jets at No. 12 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft.
He spent eight seasons with the Jets and later played for the Texans, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints, where he concluded his career in 2008.
“There’s nothing better than having your start here as a player, here as a scout and here as a head coach,” Glenn said Monday.
Days after the Jets announced Glenn’s hiring, the franchise named Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey as their new GM on Saturday.
Glenn and Mougey, 39, replace Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, respectively, who were fired midseason in 2024.
The Jets finished the 2024 season at 5-12 and missed the playoffs.
Glenn stated the team will discuss Aaron Rodgers’ future, as well as other players on the roster.