The struggling New York Jets and many of their frustrated fans are on conflicting timelines.
It's Year 1 of a major rebuild for Aaron Glenn. It feels like forever for those still rooting for the team.
Glenn, a former star player who returned as the team's head coach in January, inspired confidence with talk of changing the culture and turning around the franchise. He dismissed the notion that even through their early season struggles, these are not the “same
old Jets.”
At the NFL combine in February, Glenn ramped things up during his chat with reporters when he said: “We're here to win now.” For a team with the league's longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons, that was music to the fanbase's ears.
“What coach is not here to win now?" Glenn said Monday. "What I did say is I’m not thinking about the Super Bowl, I’m not thinking about the playoffs. I’m thinking about building a foundation. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”
But now, the Jets are 0-5 and the NFL's lone winless team after a dismal 37-22 loss to Dallas on Sunday.
“I’m not changing that at all: Yes, we are here to win now,” Glenn reiterated. "Have we done it yet? No, we haven’t. I understand that. We’re 0-and-5 and we own that. But I do know this: That’s not going to stop us from doing everything we can to win.
“So, absolutely, we are here to win now, like every other coach is.”
But Glenn is now on the wrong side of franchise history. He's the first Jets coach to begin his tenure with five losses. And this is only the fourth time they're 0-5.
Fans' patience has worn thin or, perhaps by now, been completely worn out. They've heard it all before: The culture will change and the Jets will get back to winning. They want to believe that.
But all the losing — and most importantly, how these Jets are doing so — takes them back to that sinking feeling that has plagued them for years. New York has no takeaways on defense in the first five games, 30 accepted penalties in the last three games, several missed tackles and countless mental mistakes.
Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips says Glenn has kept the locker room together through it all, avoiding the feelings of “here we go again” and not wavering from the process.
“It’s not lip service with AG,” Phillips said. "You can feel his passion. ... When he looks you in the eyes, it’s like he’s looking into your soul.”
He added: “He sees what we have. He sees what we're going through. And he believes in it, so why shouldn’t you?”
It's a tough sell to the fans who had low expectations, but still wanted to see clear improvements. But Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey are in what is essentially a rebuild of a failed rebuild of a failed rebuild by previous regimes.
Phillips was drafted by Buffalo in 2018, a year after the Bills snapped their 17-year playoff drought and turned into one of the NFL's best teams. He signed with Minnesota in 2022, when the Vikings built themselves into regular playoff contenders. And he thinks Jets fans should show some “grace” as the team tries to right itself.
“It takes a long time to rebuild a program,” he said. “It wasn't just created overnight. You have to mold and beat in what the culture is going to be to players to get them out of the past.”
The running game. In the two games since Fields returned from a concussion, the Jets have run the ball with consistency and effectiveness. They had 144 yards against Dallas, including a season-high 113 by Breece Hall — who also had a costly fumble that short-circuited a drive near the goal line. In the loss at Miami last Monday night, New York ran for 197 yards.
Take your pick. The Jets could use some interceptions or fumble recoveries since they have none. They could also do a better job of tackling after missing 14 attempts against the Cowboys. All that, plus not being able to get consistent stops, has defensive coordinator Steve Wilks a popular target of criticism.
TE Mason Taylor. The Jets wanted to get the rookie second-rounder more involved in the offense and he's becoming a reliable target for Justin Fields. Taylor had season highs with nine catches, 67 yards receiving and 12 targets against Dallas.
RT Armand Membou. After a solid first four games, the first-rounder was called for four penalties — his first of the season — against the Cowboys. The No. 7 overall pick was flagged for an illegal man downfield penalty, holding, offside (which was declined) and a false start.
Glenn said edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle) and RB/KR Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) were making the trip to London on Monday and will be evaluated through the week. ... CB Michael Carter II (concussion) won't make the trip Monday, but Glenn said he could rejoin the team later in the week if he clears the protocol. ... Rookie LB Kiko Mauigoa has a sprained foot.
0 — The Jets are the first NFL team to have no takeaways through the first five games since 1933, when turnovers were first tracked, according to ESPN Research. The only team since 1960 to go six straight at any point without a takeaway was the 2018 San Francisco 49ers, according to Sportradar.
The Jets will have a day off Tuesday in London before beginning on-field preparations for their game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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