As defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, Aaron Glenn helped the Lions win 36 regular-season games across the 2022-24 NFL seasons.
During that stretch, the Lions posted three straight winning seasons, including a trip to the NFC championship game in 2023 and the NFC’s best record and No. 1 seed in 2024.
In 2024, Glenn’s Detroit defense finished in the top 10 in scoring defense and takeaways, allowed the lowest third-down conversion rate, allowed the lowest opposing passer rating, surrendered the second lowest completion percentage and ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing defense.
But, that didn’t translate in year one as head coach of the New York Jets.
Instead, the Jets had a historically bad season. As a result, Glenn topped CBS’ 2026 NFL hot seat rankings.
Glenn went 3-14 in 2025, the worst record ever by a Jets head coach in his first season. New York became the first team since the 1987 Atlanta Falcons to finish last in points-per-game differential, yards-per-game differential and turnover differential, and the Jets have now gone 15 straight seasons without making the playoffs, the longest active drought across the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL…
Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand failed to get the offense off the ground, as the Jets ranked fourth-worst in total offense (263.6 yards per game), while quarterback Justin Fields played just nine games, won two and averaged a career-worst 6.2 yards per attempt.
Glenn’s defense wasn’t much better, as the Jets somehow became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without an interception. New York recorded four fumble recoveries for just four takeaways all year. The team that finished second-to-last in takeaways, Washington, forced 10. For its struggles, New York landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Every other team in the top six of the draft order fired its head coach. – Jordan Dajani, CBS
As disastrous as Glenn’s debut 2025 season was, CBS also shared its reasons for optimism.
I would argue the Jets are one of the NFL’s most improved teams on paper. That doesn’t mean they’re going to make the playoffs, but the foundation is in place.
The Jets traded for quarterback Geno Smith. He didn’t have his best season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, but I’d argue he’s upgrading with this change of scenery given the offensive line and surrounding weapons.
Speaking of those weapons, the Jets used two of their three first-round picks on wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq to join Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. New York used its first first-round pick on pass rusher David Bailey, who may be the best pure pass rusher in the 2026 draft class. He joins a revamped defense featuring plenty of new faces, including Joseph Ossai, T’Vondre Sweat, David Onyemata, Kingsley Enagbare, Demario Davis, Nahshon Wright, D’Angelo Ponds and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Glenn hopes that Geno Smith can flip his fortunes with the Jets. As it stands right now, Glenn tops CBS’ hot seat rankings in front of Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles, Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen, Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor and Washington’s Dan Quinn.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Former Lions coordinator tops CBS’ NFL hot seat rankings
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