Aaron Glenn helped the New York Jets nearly reach the Super Bowl as a player. Now, he will attempt to take the long-suffering franchise one step further as a coach.

Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that Glenn has accepted the Jets' offer to become their new head coach as the former Pro Bowl cornerback returns to the organisation that drafted him more than three decades ago.

Glenn, who spent the first eight seasons of his 15-year playing career with the Jets from 1994-2001, will get his first head-coaching opportunity following a successful four-year stint as the Detroit Lions' defensive coordinator. 

The 52-year-old fills a position left open when the Jets fired Robert Saleh in October following a 2-3 start to a season that began with high expectations. New York eventually finished 5-12 to extend its streak of missing the playoffs to 14 consecutive seasons, the longest active drought of any NFL team.

Glenn played a key role in Detroit's turnaround under head coach Dan Campbell, which included an appearance in the 2023 NFC championship game and a 15-2 record this past season that earned the Lions the conference's No. 1 play-off seed.

Jets hiring Aaron Glenn as their new head coach. (via @Rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/QUaE7hzRY1

— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2025

The Texas native was also part of a run of success as a player for the Jets under Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells in the late 1990s. 

Taken by New York with the 12th overall pick in the 1994 draft, Glenn made two Pro Bowls while starting 120 games over eight seasons with the team. He recorded a career-high six interceptions in 1998, a season New York went 12-4 and reached the AFC Championship before losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos. 

Glenn later returned to the Jets in a scouting role from 2012-13 before beginning his coaching career as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns the following year.

His departure from Detroit means the Lions will now have to replace both coordinators from this season. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was named the Chicago Bears' new head coach Tuesday.

Glenn's hiring is the first item crossed off of a lengthy off-season to-do list for the Jets, who are also searching for a new general manager after firing Joe Douglas from that role in mid-season.

ESPN reports Washington Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark is the leading candidate for that vacancy and is meeting with team ownership Wednesday.

Newmark and Glenn have a history together, as the two both worked with the Lions from 2021-23. Newmark had been with Detroit since 1998, most recently as the team's senior director of player personnel, before joining Washington prior to this season. 

One of the new GM's first orders of business will be to decide the Jets' future plans at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is under contract for next season, but the four-time NFL MVP turned 41 in December and has said he is unsure of playing in 2025.

Rodgers recorded a 90.5 passer rating in 2024, the lowest of his 14 seasons in which he's made 10 or more starts.