Rich CiminiJan 5, 2026, 01:43 PM

CloseRich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University.

New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn began the season with so much bravado, predicting an end to the losing culture he inherited. Fourteen losses, many of them blowouts, apparently haven’t dulled his conviction.

A defiant Glenn blamed himself for the Jets’ season, which ended Sunday with a 35-8 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, but he vowed to improve as a coach and insisted he’d deliver on his promise to turn around the Jets.

“I let the players down. I let the organization down, and that burns me, it really does,” Glenn said. “This was not expected, where we are this season, and I understand that. But here’s what I do know: I know the reason why I came here, and I am not going to waver from my beliefs on what I think wins games in this league. I’m very confident in myself, I’m very confident in this organization, I’m very confident in our owner, I’m very confident in [general manager Darren Mougey], and we’re going to work our ass off to get this s— exactly where it needs to be. I do know that.”

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Glenn added: “This season is on me,” a sentiment he shared with the players immediately after their latest lopsided defeat.

The Jets became the first team in NFL history to lose five straight games by 23 or more points within a single season, according to NFL Research. Playing with a patchwork lineup, led by undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook, they were outscored 188-54 in those games.

They went the entire season without a defensive interception — the first team in NFL history to suffer that indignity. That covers a lot of ground; the league started tracking interceptions in 1933. That it occurred on Glenn’s watch — he made 41 interceptions during his playing career — made it a cruel irony.

Ownership hasn’t commented on Glenn’s job status, but the widespread expectation is that he will return for the second year of his five-year contract. Glenn has given no indication that he’s concerned about his job security. He has said on multiple occasions that he has the full support of owner Woody Johnson, who just endured the franchise’s 15th straight season out of the playoffs.

“I understand what everybody on the outside is saying,” Glenn said of the criticism. “I’m going to take all those arrows, and that’s OK, because I do know this: It’s going to turn. And I’m confident in that.”

With their loss and the New York Giants‘ win, the quarterback-needy Jets moved up one spot and secured the second pick in the draft. They also own the 15th or 16th pick (from the Indianapolis Colts) and the 33rd pick — first in the second round. They also have three first-round picks in 2027.

“Just trust me,” Glenn said. “I know it’s hard to say, but trust me and have faith in what we’re doing.”

Aaron Glenn continues to keep the faith, even with many Jets fans losing it amid the team’s 3-14 season. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The fan base is angry because it heard the same promises from Glenn before the season, and the result was 3-14 — tied for the second-most losses in team history.

Very little went right for Glenn, who benched his handpicked quarterback, Justin Fields, and fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after 14 games. The Jets’ three wins came against teams with backup quarterbacks.

“It’s definitely been the worst season that I’ve been a part of,” edge rusher Jermain Johnson said. “They key words — a part of. I’ve got my hands in it, my hands are bloody, everybody’s hands are bloody in this. So for [Glenn] to say it’s on him, I don’t fully agree, I think everybody’s hands are dirty.”

The Jets were cooked after an 0-7 start, which prompted them to trade star defensive players Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. The Jets allowed 503 points, one shy of the franchise mark.

“He’ll be back, I promise you that,” linebacker Quincy Williams said. “He’ll be back. I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be back. His philosophy — what he’s teaching, the mindset he’s trying to create around here — he’s going to be back, man.”

Johnson said Sunday’s loss was “the cherry on top” of a miserable season. He fumed as he watched the Bills, headed to the playoffs for the seventh straight year, kill the clock in victory formation.

“It was an ugly season,” he said. “That’s something I never want to be a part of again.”