Aaron Glenn

Aaron Devone Glenn (born July 16, 1972) is an American professional football coach and former cornerback who is the head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2021 to 2024, the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Saints from 2016 to 2020, and as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2015.

Glenn played 15 seasons in the NFL. During his playing time, Glenn played for the New York Jets, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies. His younger brother Jason Glenn played in the NFL from 2001 to 2006, with the Jets, Dolphins, and Vikings, and the two brothers were teammates during Jason's rookie season.

Early life Glenn was born in Humble, Texas. He played youth football in the Humble Area Football League. He attended Nimitz High School in Houston, Texas, where he was a four-year letterman for the Nimitz Cougars high school football team. As a senior, he posted over 1,000 rushing yards, over 200 receiving yards and seven interceptions. Glenn also lettered in basketball and track.

Playing career College Glenn originally signed his letter of intent to play college football for the Purdue Boilermakers in 1990.

Glenn first attended Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, where as a sophomore, he won all-conference and junior college All-America honors, after posting two interceptions, 60 tackles, and 15 pass deflections.

Glenn then transferred to Texas A&M University, where he played for the Aggies in 1992 and 1993. As a junior in 1992, he was the Southwest Conference (SWC) Newcomer of the Year and a first-team All-Southwest Conference selection.

As a senior in 1993, he registered 27 tackles, 13 passes defensed and led the nation with a 19.2-yard punt return average, while receiving first-team All-SWC and a consensus first-team All-American honors.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Texas A&M Sports Hall of Fame.

National Football League

New York Jets The New York Jets selected Glenn in the first round (12th overall) of the 1994 NFL draft. He played his first eight seasons in the NFL with the Jets, from to . In 1996, Glenn set the team record for longest interception return with a 100-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.

In 2001, Glenn started 12 games, missing three contests with a sprained knee. He had 39 tackles and 14 pass deflections, which led the team.

Houston Texans The Houston Texans selected Glenn through the 2002 NFL expansion draft. He started 16 games at left cornerback, registering 75 tackles, five interceptions, 16 passes defensed and one sack. Glenn and teammate Gary Walker became the first Texans players to reach the NFL Pro Bowl in 2002.

In 2003, Glenn started 11 games and was declared inactive in two because of injury before being placed on the injured reserve list for the final three contests. He finished with 29 tackles, one interception and 16 passes defensed. The next year, Glenn started 16 games, with five interceptions and 14 passes defensed. He was released for salary cap reasons on April 26, 2005.

Dallas Cowboys Glenn signed with the Dallas Cowboys before the 2005 season, reuniting him with Bill Parcells, who was his head coach with the New York Jets. Coming in as a 33 year old free agent, he surprised observers with his high level of play. Although he was projected to be involved only on the nickel defense, he started seven games in place of an injured Anthony Henry and recorded four interceptions to lead the team.

The next year, Glenn played in 16 games (one start) and was used mostly on the nickel defense, registering 20 tackles with one interception. In 2007, Wade Phillips was hired as the new head coach and released Glenn on September 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars On September 3, 2007, Glenn signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in five games (four starts) and was declared inactive for eleven regular season games and two playoff games.

New Orleans Saints Glenn signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints on April 7, 2008. He injured his ankle during the second game of the season, which limited his playing time until being placed on the injured reserve list on November 27.

NFL career statistics Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD 1994 NYJ 15 66 56 10 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1995 NYJ 16 50 40 10 0.0 1 1 0 1 17 17 17 0 15 1996 NYJ 16 42 36 6 0.0 1 0 0 4 113 28 100 2 13 1997 NYJ 16 65 54 11 0.0 0 0 0 1 5 5 5 0 11 1998 NYJ 13 48 47 1 0.0 0 0 0 6 23 4 26 0 11 1999 NYJ 16 51 46 5 0.0 0 1 0 3 20 7 12 0 11 2000 NYJ 16 37 28 9 0.0 0 0 0 4 34 9 34 0 14 2001 NYJ 13 33 27 6 0.0 1 1 0 5 82 16 60 1 14 2002 HOU 16 67 56 11 1.0 0 0 0 5 181 36 70 2 18 2003 HOU 11 35 29 6 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 12 2004 HOU 16 63 55 8 0.0 1 0 0 5 40 8 23 0 14 2005 DAL 16 32 29 3 0.0 0 0 0 4 10 3 10 0 13 2006 DAL 16 22 20 2 0.0 0 0 0 1 7 7 7 0 6 2007 JAX 5 15 13 2 0.0 0 0 0 1 28 28 28 1 1 2008 NO 4 8 7 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Career 205 634 543 91 1.0 6 3 0 41 560 13.7 100 6 163

Executive career Houston Stallions Starting in 2012, Glenn held the position of general manager with the Houston Stallions of the Texas Lone Star Football League, an indoor league comprising exclusively teams from Texas.

New York Jets In June 2012, Glenn was hired by the New York Jets, his former team, as a personnel scout.

Coaching career Cleveland Browns On May 18, 2014, Glenn was named the assistant defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns.

New Orleans Saints On January 13, 2016, Glenn was hired by the New Orleans Saints as their secondary coach.

Detroit Lions On January 23, 2021, Glenn was hired by the Detroit Lions as their defensive coordinator under head coach Dan Campbell.

On February 24, 2023, Glenn signed a multi–year contract extension with the Lions. The following season, he led the defense to the second-fewest rushing yards allowed in the NFL. In the 2024 season, his defensive unit finished tied for second in the league for fewest passing touchdowns allowed.

New York Jets On January 22, 2025, Glenn was hired as the head coach of the New York Jets. The Jets started off the season 0–7, before securing consecutive victories in weeks 8 and 10 over the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. The Jets finished in last place in the AFC East with a 3–14 record, and became the first team to end the regular season without a defensive interception since the statistic began being tracked in 1933. Following his initial season, Glenn had fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators, Tanner Engstrand and Steve Wilks.

On January 28, 2026, he hired Brian Duker, former Miami Dolphins secondary coach, as his new defensive coordinator. A week later, he hired Frank Reich, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, as his new offensive coordinator.

Head coaching record Team Year Regular season PostseasonWonLostTiesWin %Finish Won Lost Win % ResultNYJ2025 3 14 0 4th in AFC East — — — —Total 3 14 0 0 0 .000

Personal life Glenn has been married to his college sweetheart Devaney Glenn since 1994. They have three children, two daughters and a son.