Aaron Glenn Sets Clear Tone for Jets’ Training Camp With Message

Summer is still in the air, and so are NFL training camps. After a long wait, teams like the New York Jets are reporting for work ahead of the 2025-26 NFL season.

It’s a huge year for New York, which comes with an under-the-radar expectation. With that said, the bar is still set high internally for a club that went 5-12 just a year ago.

Much of that confidence and consistency stems from new leadership. Despite this being his first rodeo at the position, Aaron Glenn is managing to set a clear tone early and often.

Aaron Glenn Striving to ‘Just Be A.G.’ in First Head Coaching Stint

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Glenn said he woke up at around 3:30 in the morning. He saw a text from his wife, sent an hour earlier, that contained a reminder he’ll keep throughout camp.

“Just be A.G.,” the message read.

Glenn says that for better or worse, that’s his exact plan as the Jets kick off training camp.

“That’s who I’m going to be,” Glenn said. “Right, wrong, indifferent. Nothing’s going to change about how I operate, nothing’s going to change about the way I think. Man, I was excited.”

After spending time with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions, Glenn is finally getting his big chance. The 53-year-old is a 15-year NFL veteran as a player with multiple Pro Bowls on his resume. Two of those came in the ’90s as a member of this very Jets organization, which makes this a full-circle moment with the club that drafted him way back in 1994.

It’s something Glenn isn’t taking for granted. A self-inflicted early rise for the day isn’t stopping him from making the most of Wednesday’s opportunity.

“When I woke up at that time, I didn’t go back to sleep,” Glenn said. “I don’t think I’ll go back to sleep anytime soon, because now we have this whole day and we have things we’ve got to get done. I’m looking forward to every part of every minute, every hour of what we have going on today. It’s a day of teaching, and I want to make sure I go through that the right way.”

Jets in Good Position to Compete This Season

Anyone who’s followed the team knows it’s been a rough go for the Jets. After losing in the AFC championship game back in 2010, the team hasn’t made it back to the playoffs. That marks the NFL’s longest active playoff drought, and it isn’t particularly close. The next-closest organization is the Carolina Panthers at seven years. To add insult to injury, New York’s only winning season in that span was all the way back in 2015 (10-6).

If you’re a Jets fan, you’re hoping a new era breeds new success. This is a scrappy team with a good leader at head coach, as well as some key building blocks. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson (signed on July 14) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (signed on July 15) were both inked to long-term contract extensions before camp.

Much of what New York accomplishes this year will come down to the quarterback position. Justin Fields‘ career as a starter could be on the line in 2025. Still only 26 years old, it’s time for the former No. 11 overall pick to live up to the hype. With Glenn leading the way and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand coming over from the Lions with him, there’s some optimism.

The 2025 campaign likely won’t result in the aforementioned drought being ended. It could establish a path for that in the future, however, and Glenn seems to know that. He’s maximizing every chance to improve.