INDIANAPOLIS — Aaron Glenn is putting his cape back on.
The Jets coach confirmed Tuesday what has been expected for weeks: Glenn will take over defensive play-calling duties for the team in 2026 — something he called his “superpower.”
Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in the middle of his first season with the team. That led to a search for a replacement in January.
It was unclear at first whether Glenn would take over the play calling or have his new defensive coordinator handle it. He hired Brian Duker, who he worked with in Detroit, as the new defensive coordinator with the idea that Glenn would handle calling the defense.
“To me, play calling is my superpower, really,” Glenn said. “Doing it for four years in Detroit and man, just look at the maturation of those four years of how we improved every year and how I improved as a play-caller. I really miss doing that. I think it’s a huge part of helping us become the team that I see us becoming.”
Glenn is coming off a 3-14 rookie season on the job and needs to get the team respectable in a hurry if he wants to see a third season on the job.
Taking over the defense, a role he was in from 2021-24 with the Lions, makes sense. It was unclear the Jets would head in that direction initially, which led to some speculation that owner Woody Johnson intervened and told Glenn to call the plays.
Glenn emphatically shot that idea down. Glenn said he believes there is a false narrative about Johnson meddling with the team. He said Johnson always offers support but has not ordered him to do anything.
“I would really like that narrative to change that he is trying to force me and [GM Darren Mougey] to do certain things,” Glenn said. “He’s there to support. He’s always been there to support. The only thing I can speak for is myself and my relationship with him and it’s been outstanding. I guess to answer your question, he is not pushing me to pick coaches, he is not pushing me to operate this team a certain way. The only thing he’s doing is supporting it and I feel fortunate to have an owner like that.”
Glenn said he was hesitant to call the plays last year because he wanted to focus on game management as a first-time head coach. That changed, though.
“As the season progressed and I started getting to the end of the season, I started to feel like I can still call it and be able to manage it just as well,” Glenn said. “And again I’ll be honest with you, I missed being the play-caller. I missed being able to be in the fire with those guys, being able to talk to the Mike linebacker, being able to be in the meeting rooms and trying to put a game plan together to be successful against another team. All those things came into it for me. I’m excited for this opportunity. I’m excited about moving forward in that direction.”
One thing that was hard to reconcile with Glenn’s decision to call plays was his decision to interview veteran coach Wink Martindale twice.
It would seem unlikely that a longtime play-caller like Martindale would want to take a coordinator role that did not include play calling.
Glenn said when he did the first round of interviews virtually he had not yet decided to call the defense. By the time, he interviewed Martindale in person, he had.
“When I brought Wink in and told him [Glenn would call plays], he was still a go,” Glenn said. “But then again, as I thought about the whole situation, Brian Duker being with me for three years. Man, he’s been through the fire with me. We were not a team that brought a lot of guys early into Detroit. He’s been through the fire. He knows exactly how I wanted to operate and man, I think there’s nothing more valuable than having that type of relationship with somebody. Listen, I thought Wink was going to do a really good job but I just thought Brian Duker was the guy for this job.”