Before he became the Jets head coach, or the Lions defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn was the Saints defensive backs coach for five seasons (2016-20).
Jets punter Thomas Morstead was also playing in New Orleans during that time (2016-20).
The two will be reunited after Glenn was named the Jets’ new coach on Wednesday. Although they didn’t work on the same side of the ball, Morstead said one particular attribute stood out about Glenn when they were both with the Saints.
“The one thing I would say about Coach Glenn is he just oozed professionalism,” Morstead told the Daily News. “Just the way that he carried him and the way that he handled his business.
“I’m not a defensive back or even a defensive player, so I really didn’t interface with him a ton in meetings. But as somebody around the building, professionalism is just the word that comes to mind when I think about him.”
Professionalism is undoubtedly a key quality for any coach, especially one trying to change an organization’s culture, and Glenn will attempt to do so with the Jets. Gang Green is coming off a disappointing 5-12 season, but it had high expectations entering the year.
Amidst a problematic season, Jets owner Woody Johnson fired both coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, hoping to generate a spark from the team. But Jeff Ulbrich went 3-9 during his 12 games as interim coach.
The Jets are still trying to find a new general manager after conducting second interviews this week with Washington assistant general manager Lance Newmark, Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey and Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown.
In recent years, the Jets have been criticized for being a dysfunctional organization. In an article released by The Athletic last month, Johnson was “characterized as an over-involved, impulsive owner in conversations with more than 20 people in and around the Jets organization.” This was after The Athletic said Johnson’s family has had an increased role in the organization, a claim that he later denied and claimed was untrue.
Players and others around the organization have referred to Glenn as a culture builder during his four seasons as the Lions defensive coordinator following his stint with the Saints. Along with Dan Campbell, Glenn helped Detroit go from bottom-feeders to Super Bowl contenders. After a 3-13-1 record in 2021 in Glenn and Campbell’s first season, the Lions finished with a 36-15 record from 2022-24, with two playoff appearances and a trip to the NFC Championship.
Meanwhile, the Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. They have not finished with a winning record since Gang Green went 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs in 2015.
Glenn — who will be officially introduced on Monday afternoon — will look to turn the Jets around and mold the team in his own way.
“I think everybody’s got different qualities that they’ll prioritize, but at the end of the day, people wanna win, and they want results,” Morstead said when asked what he is looking for in his new coach. “Hopefully, somebody that can drive those results.
“I think the best way to have great results is to have great processes and hopefully the GM/head coach combo work well together. I’m sure a lot of Jets fans are wary of kind of feeling like they’ve been through this a number of times in the past.
“Hopefully, it’s not a rebuild mentality as there are a lot of good pieces on the team, but obviously, something has to change because we haven’t collectively got it done.”
As for Morstead, 38, the 2025 season will be the final year of his contract with the Jets. Last season, he was 15th in punting average (47.2) and 21st in net punting average (40.9).
With a new regime coming in, Morstead could be one of the few familiar faces on special teams in 2025. After struggling this season, making 9-of-15 kicks, kicker Greg Zuerlein could be a cap casualty. The Jets also could have a new returner, with Brant Boyer unlikely to be retained as special teams coach.
Despite his age and playing 17 seasons in the NFL, Morstead said he wants to continue playing as long as he maintains his desire to play.
“It’s a super cliche answer of kind of just taking it a day at a time or a season at a time,” Morstead said. “But I’m highly motivated to continue playing. You know, the experiences that I get to have with my wife and kids, in particular of them getting to see dad do something really cool.
“I’ve got support from everybody in the house to keep going even though it’s difficult on the family to move up and do that every year. But everybody is on board to keep going, so as long as I feel like I can continue playing at a high level, I’m sure I’ll keep going.”