FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Aaron vs. Aaron: After two weeks on the job, coach Aaron Glenn fired a future Hall of Fame quarterback — not the cushiest way to break into the new gig. Details of that Feb. 6 confab with Aaron Rodgers have come to light, courtesy of Rodgers, who said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday that Glenn disrespected him. Their meeting was quick and cold and became combative, according to Rodgers.
Yes, there’s a new boss and a new vibe at One Jets Drive. Hugs and happy talk are out; hard truth and no-nonsense are in.
“With A.G., he’s going to do it a certain way — a way he believes in,” former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington said this week before Rodgers went public. “I think that’s one of his strong points. That’s what made him a great DB. He had a certain way of doing things and he’s a true professional, so it doesn’t surprise me that it correlates to him being a coach as well.”
Pennington was Glenn’s teammate in 2000 and 2001, as were Shaun Ellis, John Abraham and Anthony Becht — the Jets’ four first-round draft picks in 2000. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the draft — the only time in NFL history that team made four first-round choices in the same year — the four appeared as guests on ESPN’s “Flight Deck” podcast.
When Glenn came up in the conversation, his former teammates described a highly focused, serious-minded person who isn’t afraid to upset the status quo.
Glenn has transformed the Jets into “a tight ship,” according to Becht, who added, “He’s going to make sure they weed out anything that shouldn’t be around to keep it very tight inside, so that only the players and coaches uniformly come together for the single purpose of turning that organization around.”
He did that with Rodgers rather quickly, summoning him to New Jersey for a chat a few days before the Super Bowl. The four-time MVP flew on his private jet from California, expecting a long discussion about his future. Glenn cut to the chase, handing Rodgers a pink slip less than a minute into the conversation, per the quarterback. It was quicker than his ill-fated debut in 2023 that lasted four snaps.
Maybe Glenn should’ve expressed more compassion, but he acted decisively and showed he’s thinking like a head coach, not an ex-player. Former players sometimes fall into the trap of getting too cozy with their players; it appears that won’t happen with Glenn, though his occasionally prickly personality might chafe some feelings along the way.
The way Rodgers explained it, Glenn seemed concerned that his presence on the team would undermine his authority. If true, that could be perceived as a sign of insecurity, but let’s be honest: Glenn wouldn’t have been the first coach to see Rodgers as a distraction.
“He’s going to have the players different, man,” Abraham said of Glenn. “I just hope they give him the time to build this team.”
Ellis said of his old teammate: “My memories of him are coming into the locker room, always seeing him smiling and laughing and joking. But when it came to the meeting rooms, he was on his stuff. He knew exactly what to do. Seeing him [coaching], I’m not surprised at all.”
2. Latest draft buzz: The popular mock draft choice for the Jets at seventh overall is Missouri right tackle Armand Membou, whose stock has risen since an impressive combine performance. But what if Membou is off the board? There’s a chance he could be picked No. 6 by the Las Vegas Raiders.
In that case, the Jets could opt for Penn State tight end Tyler Warren or Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. — a name that hasn’t garnered much buzz in the top 10.
Banks (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) won the Lombardi Award (best lineman in college football) and Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) in 2024. His background at left tackle (three-year starter) provides more value than Membou, according to some NFL evaluators.
Obviously, the Jets would have no qualms about shifting Banks (or Olu Fashanu) to right tackle if they go in this direction. Banks is generally regarded as a mid- to late first-round prospect; maybe they could get him in a trade-down.
Warren is intriguing because of his production (104 receptions for 1,233 yards in 2024) and versatility, not to mention the Jets’ crying need at tight end. They covet a No. 2 option in the passing game to reduce the pressure on wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
3. Hometown connection: Picking Banks would hit close to home for Glenn — literally.
Banks grew up in Humble, Texas, the same hometown as the coach. They attended different high schools, though. Banks’ father, Kelvin Sr., also was raised in the same area. He, too, went to a different high school than Glenn. Kelvin Sr. was an offensive lineman who began his college career at the Houston.
4. A 320-pound question mark: Speaking of right tackles, Chukwuma Okorafor was an intriguing addition in free agency. He has 60 career starts, including 59 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet he arrived with a red flag because of what went down last season with the New England Patriots.
He opened the season as their starting left tackle, but he allowed three quarterback pressures to Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson and got benched after 12 snaps. Abruptly, Okorafor left the team and never played again for the Patriots, who cut him this offseason.
In 2023, Okorafor ranked 12th out of 40 right tackles in pressure percentage, per Next Gen Stats — but carries the stigma of having walked away from a team. Glenn said they did “a good amount of investigation” into the situation and came away satisfied after speaking directly with Okorafor.
“I think he’s a really good player,” Glenn said. “We’re trying to build this O-line to be dynamic, and we feel like he could be a piece of that puzzle.”
5. Heeere’s Darren: General manager Darren Mougey steps into the spotlight this week. He has no drafting history because it’s his first time in the big chair, so it’s hard to predict what might happen.
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, a former college teammate at San Diego State, praised Mougey’s personnel acumen.
“He’s somebody I always really, really valued — his opinion on players, putting together a team, scheme, all that stuff,” O’Connell told ESPN at the recent annual league meetings. “I think he’s going to do a phenomenal job in that role.”
6. Did you know? The Jets have made 625 player selections in the common-draft era (since 1967), and not once have they picked a player at No. 7 overall. That ends Thursday, barring a trade.
By the way, the Jets are open to trading back, per league sources.
7. More beef wanted: The Jets hosted no fewer than four defensive tackles for visits — Mason Graham (Michigan), Derrick Harmon (Oregon), Darius Alexander (Toledo) and Omarr Norman-Lott (Tennessee). Despite signing three low-cost free agents, they’re still looking to upgrade. They need more size in the middle.
8. A curious comp: In the past five seasons, only one player in the league — Jets linebacker Neville Hewitt — played more than 50% of his team’s snaps (offense and defense combined). He played 51% in 2020 on a Jets team that had the second-most defensive snaps. Why are we bringing this up?
There’s a lot of talk about Travis Hunter playing both ways in the NFL, as he did at Colorado, where he played 86% of his team’s snaps last season. The Hewitt reference gives some context to what Hunter hopes to accomplish.
Bet you didn’t expect to see Hunter and Hewitt in the same sentence.
9. A familiar farewell: Tyron Smith, who retired Wednesday in a news conference at the Dallas Cowboys, failed to mention the Jets in his retirement speech. Granted, last season was his only one in New York, but the Jets did pay him $9.25 million when no other team was banging down his door. Smith joins a long list of fading greats who played out the string with the Jets, a group that includes Rodgers, Ed Reed and Art Monk.
10. Busy week: Starting Monday, the Jets will hold a minicamp. Teams with new coaches are allowed to have a minicamp before the draft. This one is voluntary, which means a player could skip it to take a vacation in, say, Egypt, and not be fined.
