FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. Deja debut: Aaron Glenn makes his head coaching debut Sunday against the 12th-winningest coach in NFL history: Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's a tough way to start, but no tougher than his first game as a player in 1994.
Against the Buffalo Bills in the old Giants Stadium, Glenn faced a couple of future Hall of Famers and was tested immediately. On the Bills' first play from scrimmage, Glenn found himself lined up against Andre Reed. Jim Kelly saw it and attacked the Jets' rookie cornerback, looking for his favorite receiver.
The pass was incomplete -- a positive harbinger for Glenn. He held his own that day, just as he did the next two weeks against John Elway and Dan Marino -- a Murderers' Row of quarterbacks. As then-Jets coach Pete Carroll said at the outset of the gauntlet, "[Glenn] will find out what the Hall of Fame is all about."
"I was nervous -- I know I was -- and I'm sure I'll be nervous for this one," Glenn said, comparing his 1994 debut with Sunday's opener at MetLife Stadium. "And that's just who I am. I'll always have that within my body, and I can feel it.
"But at some point, man, it goes away really, really, really quick, and I get dialed into what I have to do as a coach, and as I did as a player."
In terms of daunting challenges, this is on par with having to face Kelly-Elway-Marino. Glenn takes over a franchise that hasn't fielded a winner in nine straight seasons, and his first three games are against 2024 playoff teams: Steelers, Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Sunday, Glenn will be opposed by a certain future Hall of Fame quarterback who would absolutely love to ruin the coach's homecoming party even though he downplayed it this past week. Aaron Rodgers, who never forgets a slight, believes he was mistreated by Glenn on the way out the door seven months ago -- an unceremonious end to his two-year run with the Jets.
All of which puts Glenn in the crosshairs. Tough opener. Tough job, period.
"It's extremely, extremely challenging," former Jets linebacker Jason Glenn, Aaron's younger brother, said on the "Flight Deck" podcast. "It's New York, right?"
Jason Glenn, who finished his career with the Minnesota Vikings, said his brother reminds him of his Vikings defensive coordinator in 2006. That coach landed his first head coaching job the following year. Glenn knew his old DC would be a success in his new city because "you can just tell how some guys fit organizations."
As for his big brother, "Aaron fits New York."
By the way, Jason Glenn's DC in Minnesota? It was Tomlin, hired by Pittsburgh in 2007.
2. Reasons for hope: Never say never in the NFL, right?
For 35 straight seasons, at least four teams have made the playoffs that weren't in the previous postseason. In 26 of the last 29 seasons, at least one team has qualified for the playoffs after finishing in last or tied for last place. The Los Angeles Chargers, Vikings and Washington Commanders did it last year.
Early in the offseason, Glenn referred to the Jets as a "win-now" team. This past week, he backed off, opting for a nebulous response when asked how he'd define a successful season.
"I want to be a team to where the fans will look and say we're proud of that team," Glenn said. "And if they say that, I'll be happy. I'll be happy because, within that, I know that wins will come."
3. AVT's uncertain future: Right tackle Armand Membou will be the first Jets rookie offensive lineman to make an opening-day start since Alijah Vera-Tucker in 2021. The plan was to have them side-by-side for 2025 and beyond, but Vera-Tucker's season-ending triceps tear is likely to have far-reaching implications.
Prior to the injury, the Jets were interested in extending Vera-Tucker's contract, which expires after this season. That appears unlikely now. This was his third major surgery in four years, raising serious questions about his durability. He probably will have to take a one-year, prove-it deal, stay healthy in 2026 and hope to make a free-agent score in 2027.
Whether it's with the Jets remains to be seen.
4. Rotten luck: The Jets can't catch a break with their offensive line. Since 2020, they've invested four first-round picks on the line (tied with the New Orleans Saints for the league high), hoping to turn it into a powerhouse unit. That hasn't happened; it remains a work in progress due, in part, to injuries.
The first two picks spent more time in rehab than on the field. Mekhi Becton missed 36 out of 67 games. Vera-Tucker will have missed 42 out of 85 games by season's end. Neither player had an injury history in college, though Becton battled a weight problem.
Sometimes you just get unlucky.
5. Wants to be captain: Cornerback Sauce Gardner sounded a little bummed out that he wasn't voted a captain by his teammates. It seemed like a natural progression for him, especially with wide receiver Garrett Wilson getting the nod. They were drafted the same year and both received huge contract extensions before training camp.
The other captains: Justin Fields and Vera-Tucker on offense; Jamien Sherwood and Quinnen Williams on defense; Marcelino McCrary-Ball on special teams.
"I did feel a way," Gardner said. "I'm like, 'There's three on offense, you might as well just do three on defense.'"
He said Wilson and Vera-Tucker finished in a tie, explaining the extra man on offense. Gardner said it won't affect how he leads, adding, "I'm not tripping about it, but it's something I want at some point in my career."
6. Gang green: Are the Jets a young team? Yes and no.
As of Friday, their 53-man roster was the second youngest, behind the Green Bay Packers. That's pretty green, yet they have just eight rookies, only two of whom are expected to play meaningful snaps: Membou and tight end Mason Taylor. Wide receiver Arian Smith could make it three, but his role is less defined.
Last year's team, which was built to win a championship (that was the plan, anyway), opened with nine rookies.
7. Difference maker: It took 358 days from injury to return, but Jermaine Johnson is back from his ruptured Achilles. He's a high-motor player, and the coaches expect him to galvanize the front four.
Watching the tape of Johnson's first few practices in training camp, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said it was like "I was hitting fast speed because of the intensity and how they were coming off the ball."
8. Ready for a run: Barring injury, Fields probably will go down as the best running quarterback in Jets history. He averages 50 rushing yards per game. At that pace, he'd break the single-season record (453 yards, Al Dorow, 1960) in 10 games and he'd shatter the career mark (821, Richard Todd) in his 17th game.
9. Did you know? The Jets have played exactly 1,000 regular-season games in franchise history, according to Pro Football Reference. They go all the way back to 1960, when they were the New York Titans. In case you're wondering, their record is 433-559-8 -- a .437 winning percentage.
Maybe the second 1,000 will be better.
10. The last word: "What do they say? The bigger the dragon, the bigger the hero, the better the story." -- defensive tackle Harrison Phillips on how much he's looking forward to facing Rodgers.