The New York Jets have announced the expansion of the Jets NFL Girls Flag league in Dublin, Ireland. Participation has doubled for the 2026 edition of the initiative, following a successful first year.

The first league of its kind in the country, it aims to increase girls’ access to and participation in sports through NFL Flag – the official flag football program of the NFL. With a fun, exciting, and accessible format, it helps participants build lifelong psychological skills in strategy, communication, and resilience as they work together to plan and execute winning plays.

To mark the start of the initiative’s second year, the Jets welcomed all 160 participants (aged 12-15) from 16 schools across Dublin to the Sport Ireland Campus yesterday for an all-day launch event.

The day began with a special welcome to the Jets family for all the girls, who received their official Nike kits for the 2026 season. A Q&A session followed, featuring special guests: Jamien Sherwood (Jets Linebacker), Marcelino McCrary-Ball (Jets Linebacker) and Mickey McDermott, Head Coach of Jets Flag Elite, who shared stories from their time in the sport and discussed the international growth of flag football and the positive impact of participation.

Action subsequently moved to the field for a quarterback camp featuring several skills and drills stations run by Coach Mickey McDermott, giving many of the girls in attendance their first opportunity to try the sport. McDermott coaches the U.S.-based Jets Flag Elite travel team. The drills and skills stations were held alongside several fun off-field activities for participants, including yard games, a 360° photobooth, and giveaways.

The Jets are passionate about increasing girls’ participation in sport and have committed over $2.5 million to support Girls Flag and create opportunities for girls in football since 2011. In 2025, the Jets supported over 6,000 participants in more than 250 Girls Flag football programs, both domestically and internationally.

“It’s fantastic to be back in Dublin for the second year of our Jets NFL Girls Flag league,” said Jesse Linder, Jets Vice President of Community Relations. “We are building good momentum in Ireland, and we’re thrilled to see participation double in 2026. The Jets truly believe in the power of flag football, and we’re committed to ensuring that all girls have the opportunity to try the sport. We’re looking forward to several exciting weeks of competition and wish all our teams the very best of luck.”

“We’re seeing incredible momentum for girls’ participation across Ireland,” said Dr. Chris Long, Lead Manager, Youth and Grassroots Football Development for the U.K. & Ireland.“Initiatives like the Jets NFL Girls Flag league are vital in creating welcoming, high‑quality pathways into the sport. It’s inspiring to watch these young athletes develop confidence, skill, and a sense of belonging through flag football.”

The 2026 Jets NFL Girls Flag league is the latest activation by the team in Ireland, since they were awarded international marketing rights in the country in 2024 as part of the NFL’s ‘Global Markets Program’ (GMP). The GMP allows NFL clubs to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S. through fan engagement, events, commercial opportunities, and NFL Flag development.

Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with over 20 million players across 100 countries, where women and girls are driving the fastest growth. The sport will officially be included in the LA 2028 Olympic Games program, led by the efforts of the International Federation of American Football and supported by the NFL. AFI is looking forward to working with the NFL to grow Flag Football in Ireland.

The New York Jets announced the creation of Jets Flag Elite London and the return of the Jets NFL Girls Flag League for year four at an exciting dual-launch held at the Ealing Trailfinders practice facility.

The new Jets Elite Flag London is an all-girls Flag football travel team and marks the international expansion of Jets Flag Elite, a program launched by the Jets in the U.S. in 2025. Its mission is to support, elevate, and empower girls’ flag football by giving young athletes the opportunity to connect with the Jets and experience football at a more professional level.

The unveiling of the London-based team is part of a multiyear commitment by the Jets and will feature players from the Jets NFL Girls Flag League in London. Led by Jay Taylor of the Fruit Bats flag football team, it will provide elite-level skill development and an exciting new pathway for girls participating in flag football across London.

Jets Flag Elite London will be backed by a $10,000 grant from the Jets, along with funding for uniforms and equipment. Training together regularly, the team will also travel to the U.S. in the summer to meet other members of Jets Flag Elite from New York and New Jersey, before participating in a tournament state-side.

The exciting announcement was made yesterday by the head coach of Jets Flag Elite (U.S.), Mickey McDermott, during a dual launch event, which also celebrated the return of the Jets NFL Girls Flag League in London for a fourth year.

Established in 2023, the initiative aims to increase girls’ access to and participation in sports through NFL Flag – the official Flag football program of the NFL. With a fun, exciting, and accessible format, it helps participants build lifelong psychological skills in strategy, communication, and resilience as they work together to plan and execute winning plays.

The Jets NFL Girls Flag League in London has seen consistent year-on-year growth in participation, with the 2026 edition set to feature over 300 girls (aged 12-15) from 32 schools across the South, West and East of London.

The day kicked off with a special welcome Q&A for all new and returning participants, featuring special guest: Jets Linebacker and team captain Marcelino McCrary-Ball. This was followed by on-field action with an exciting skills-and-drills element, allowing the girls to showcase their skills.

The Jets are passionate about increasing girls’ participation in sport and have committed over $2.5 million since 2011 to support Girls Flag and create opportunities for girls in football. In 2025, the Jets supported over 6,000 participants in more than 250 Girls Flag football programs, both domestically and internationally.

“We are so pleased to be back in London for our exciting dual launch event,” said Jesse Linder, Jets Vice President of Community Relations. “Each year, we’ve seen the Jets NFL Girls Flag League grow with more young athletes getting involved and elevating the standard of play. Therefore, 2026 felt like the right moment to launch Jets Elite Flag London, which is a very exciting next step for the Jets in the U.K. Best of luck to all 32 teams for their upcoming league fixtures, and we look forward to seeing how the on-field action unfolds.”

“I was thrilled to make the trip and help launch Jets Elite Flag London,” said Mickey McDermott, Head Coach of Jets Flag Elite. “It was a pleasure to spend time with the girls — their knowledge and passion off the field are matched only by their skills and teamwork on it. Watching flag football grow internationally in recent years has been incredibly exciting, and we hope that by launching Jets Elite Flag London, we can build on that momentum, create new opportunities, and inspire even more girls to try the sport for the first time.”

Jets Elite Flag London and the 2026 Jets NFL Girls Flag League represent the latest in-market activations by the New York Jets, who were awarded international marketing rights to the U.K. in 2022 as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program (GMP). The GMP allows NFL clubs to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S., through fan engagement, events, commercial opportunities and NFL Flag development.

“The launch of Jets Flag Elite London represents an exciting and important moment for girls’ football development in the U.K, said Dr. Chris Long, Lead Manager, Youth and Grassroots Football Development, NFL U.K. & Ireland. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen incredible enthusiasm from young players across London, and this new performance pathway will only strengthen the opportunities available to them. Supporting the Jets on this expansion allows us to elevate the sport even further and inspire a new generation of athletes to get involved.”

Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with over 20 million players across 100 countries, where women and girls are driving the fastest growth. The sport will officially be included in the LA 2028 Olympic Games programme, led by the efforts of the International Federation of American Football and supported by the NFL. BAFA (British American Football Association) is looking forward to working with the NFL to grow Flag Football in the U.K.

The New York Jets are delighted to announce their 2025 International Fan of the Year has been selected as Anth Cook from Stockton-on-Tees, UK!

Anth was selected as the Jets representative as part of the NFL’s league wide International Fan of the Year programme, and he will represent the Jets alongside fans from 31 other clubs at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh later this year!

It is the third year that the programme has been active for, with the Jets previously selecting Frazer Campbell and Olivia Peebles as their representatives in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Anth has been a consistent advocate for Jets fandom in the UK and Ireland over the years, helping to run the ‘Gang Green UK’ fan group, coordinating with fans across Europe and on both sides of the Atlantic for events, watch parties, tailgates and trips to see the Jets play in person.

He first became a Jets fan back in the late 1990s, when a trip to Hofstra University in New York led to a chance encounter with the team at their training facility. Having seen the likes of Curtis Martin up close, Anth was inspired to find out more about the sport and team, leading to a decades long fandom that has continued to grow.

There were a high number of extremely strong applicants as part of the process for this year’s International Fan of the Year Award, and we thank every fan who took the time to submit a nomination.

Congratulations to Anth and enjoy the NFL Draft!

With the offseason underway, eyes turn to 2026, where the Jets will look to rebound after a three-win campaign in 2025.

Although the full season schedule won’t be released until May, we are now able to look at the full list of opponents that the Jets will have on their ledger for next season, comprising of the usual AFC East suspects plus a rotation of other teams from across the league.

This year, the AFC conference takes the turn of having one fewer home game, meaning the Jets play eight at MetLife Stadium and nine on the road. Among the teams they will come up against are the AFC West, NFC North and three opponents based on division ranking in the Browns, Titans and Cardinals.

The international schedule is yet to be announced, so it is unclear whether the Jets will play in London for a third consecutive season at this time – they likely won’t be a designated team with just eight home games in their schedule this year.

A quirk of the schedule means that the Jets will play the Denver Broncos for the seventh consecutive season despite being in different divisions. By contrast, their game against the Cardinals will be just the seventh matchup between those two teams since the turn of the century.

The full schedule will be revealed later this year, at which point we will get the dates and times of all of the Jets matchups – stay tuned to our social media channels to be the first to know as that news breaks!

There’s something about a good UDFA story that inspires the imagination of a sports fan. Everyone loves an underdog, some of the best sports movies are based on this very simple fact. Brady Cook is an underdog, based entirely on his draft positioning. 

A 3-star recruit coming out of Chaminade College Preparatory School in Missouri, Cook threw for 33 touchdowns and 3,194 yards as a senior in high school before electing to stay home and enroll at the University of Missouri.

His senior year he almost took Chaminade to a state championship title but fell just short when a 2-point conversion attempt was stuffed by Mekhi Wingo, now a defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions. But in interviews after the game, the opposition De Smet coaches said they hadn’t realised just how good he was.

St Louis QB trainer Matt Biermann said in an interview with AOL that he believed that defeat was the turning point for Cook and his emotional maturity. It wasn’t the perfect way to finish his high school career, but it’s often said we learn more in our defeats than our victories.

Cook grew up a Missouri diehard, lining up Tiger Walk dreaming of one day following in the footsteps of his childhood heroes. He would spend his Saturdays in the Faurot Field parking lot playing catch, waiting to see Chase Daniel take the field. In 2020, he got that opportunity to walk onto the field himself, but it wasn’t until 2022 when he took over the starting role.

The first year was all about getting his feet wet in the college football landscape. Although the Tigers would finish with a 6-7 record on the season, which included a 3-5 mark in the SEC, there were some notable games for Cook in his first year.

He led the Tigers to a victory over South Carolina who were ranked #19 at the time, had Missouri up 22–12 in the 4th quarter over #1 Georgia before a late comeback stole the victory away. He tossed 3 touchdowns against the Tennessee Volunteers who finished the year as the nations 5th best team and threw three touchdown passes in victories over Abilene Christian and New Mexico State. 

It was just the start for Cook, who used that 2022 season as a springboard for 2023. 

2023 was one of Missouri’s best seasons in program history and Brady Cook was a huge reason why. With his command, grit, intelligence and athleticism the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 start on the season. Cook went 23–35 for 356 yards and 2 TD’s in an upset victory over #15 ranked Kentucky before completing 80.5% of his passes for 395 yards and 4 touchdowns against Vanderbilt.

Cook finished that year completing 66.1% of his passes for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions while leading the Tigers to an 11-2 record (6-2 in the SEC) and a famous Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. 

Just when Cook was building momentum for the NFL draft, he suffered through an injury-riddled season in 2024, where he had to deal with both ankle and wrist injuries. His streak of 35 consecutive starts was ended when he was forced to miss the game against Oklahoma and his stat line during his final year where he completed 62.6% of his passes for 2,535 yards, 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions paled in comparison to his 2023 season. 

But Cook’s reputation as a smart, tough, accurate QB continued to grow, especially in the Auburn game. After being injured on the first drive of the game, Cook was taken to hospital and the Tigers fell into a 17-6 hole heading into the final quarter. Cook shockingly re-entered the game to lead two touchdown drives, giving Missouri a 21-17 victory. 

This weekend, Cook will get another opportunity to show that he belongs in the NFL with a trip to the big easy to face Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints. “I want to continue to evaluate him and see exactly how he’s going to operate on a consistent basis,” Aaron Glenn said. Part of that evaluation will be to see whether Cook can cut down on the turnovers after throwing five interceptions over his first two games. 

Although the results haven’t been what he’d like them to be, Cook has impressed teammates with his talent and command in the huddle. 

“I feel like he did good. I feel like Brady Cook is special. Like I told him after the game, because me [and] Mitch [Adonai Mitchell] we were just talking about it, and we were like bro, he got it — he is special. We all have games where it’s going to make or break us, and how he came back every time to the huddle, and like everybody was just bought in what he was doing, like he’s special, he’s got it. Like when people talk about that ‘it’ factor, he one of them guys that got it,” wide receiver Isaiah Williams explained.

Jets centre Josh Myers added “Yeah, look, I think Brady is a good player who has a future in this league. He just has some learning to do. [Cook was] poised; he was calm in there, I thought he did a nice job calling everything and operating within the offense. I really think Brady has a future in this league,” and Myers has played with some pretty good QBs in his time including Aaron Rodgers. 

When you get eliminated from the playoffs as the Jets have, the game becomes about evaluation. It’s key to know what you have in the building so you know what to prioritise outside the building come free agency and the draft. Cook will be hoping to show that the Jets have an NFL QB on their hands.

Last week, the Jets were officially eliminated from playoff contention, and while there is plenty of evaluation to be done over the final four games, many fans are now turning one eye to the offseason, with the Jets facing some critical decisions. 

Year one of a new regime is all about transition. We’ve seen a number of moves made by Darren Mougey with an eye to creating a sustainable winner in New York for the next decade. We’re already seeing some of those players put down statement performances, namely from Jowon Briggs, AD Mitchell and others. 

The big question around the Jets heading into the offseason is at the quarterback position. The Jets have a number of options and plenty of cap space and draft capital to ensure they can come away with one of their primary targets. 

Over the next few weeks we’ll start looking more towards the offseason, and we’re kicking things off today with a quick introduction to the QB class in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

If you’re looking for QBs in the first round, there are three names that you need to be familiar with. 

Fernando Mendoza from Indiana, Dante Moore from Oregon and Ty Simpson from Alabama.

There is however plenty of uncertainty surrounding who will put their name forward for the draft and who will elect to return to school. All three prospects have college eligibility remaining and the latest rumours doing the rounds make me believe that Dante Moore is the most likely to return to school with Fernando Mendoza the most likely to enter the draft. 

There’s an argument that Mendoza has very little to prove by heading back to college considering he’s just led Indiana to their first Big Ten Championship in 58 years with an upset victory over powerhouse Ohio State. That performance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis ticked a lot of boxes for NFL teams, not because of the numbers (15-23 for 222 yards and 1 TD) but because of the way the Florida native managed the game down the stretch, making big throw after big throw to secure the title. 

Dante Moore, on the other hand, may believe that heading back to school for another year is the best course of action for his long-term career. Moore has just one year of starting experience in college and while he put up an outstanding year (72.5% completion, 24 TDs, 6 INTs) some question his ability to perform under pressure and his arm strength when trying to stretch the field. Those are concerns that could be answered with another year of starting experience. 

The same can be said for Ty Simpson, who has only this year become a full-time starter at Alabama despite joining their college ranks in 2022. If you’d have looked at Simpson a month ago his draft stock chart would have been like a rocket launch, but struggles over the last month have caused some pause for thought in his pre-draft evaluation. He has 6 TDs to 4 INTs over his last five games, along with a completion rate that has fluctuated between 48.7% (vs Georgia) and 68.8% (vs Eastern Illinois). Another year in college could show teams that Simpson can play up to the standard of his opponents. 

But the college football quarterback class doesn’t finish with the first round talents, and if the Jets do miss out on their first target or baulk at the asking price to move into position to draft him, they could look down the draft to find and develop a QB.

It is also worth remembering that while there are no guarantees in college football, most experts believe the 2027 class will be loaded with talent, headlined by Texas man Arch Manning and OSU star Julian Sayin. 

As with the top of the draft and the doubt over Simpson and Moore, there is doubt further down the draft about which quarterbacks will declare. Listen to draft analysts and they’ll tell you that South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers is likely heading back to Columbia after a down year where he managed just 13 touchdowns in 12 games and threw 8 interceptions. 

John Mateer is an incredibly talented passer but his first year at Oklahoma didn’t go to plan following his transfer from Washington State. After throwing for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, he managed just 2,578 yards and 12 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in the Sooner state. If he does enter the draft, he’ll likely be drafted in the middle rounds and a team could see that as an opportunity to buy low on his talent. If he chooses to return to school, it could allow him to re-build his stock up towards the first round, which is where many had him projected at the start of 2025.

One prospect who could hold a lot of interest for the Jets is USC signal caller Jayden Maiava, who has spent the last two years learning his trade under ‘QB whisperer’ Lincoln Riley. The Junior finished this season completing over 66% of his passes for over 3,500 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has the ideal size at 6’4 and 225lbs, has a plus arm and quick release and has shown the ability to step up and avoid pressure and deliver the ball on time. There is some momentum behind him returning to school next year and I’m sure Riley will make a big push to return his leading man for a potential run at a title. 

Another name to watch is Brendan Sorsby whose name has been linked with the transfer portal in recent days following a breakout campaign in the Big 12 with Cincinnati. The 21-year-old Texas native completed 61.6% of his passes for 27 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions to go with over 500 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. Considering the Jets looked to the dual ability of Justin Fields, bringing in a QB who has the ability to hurt defenses both on the ground and through the air could be very appealing. I’d consider Sorsby a big name to watch. 

There are of course other QBs to consider and I’m sure that as we work through the draft process, the projections will become clearer. Expect to hear a lot about Garrett Nussmeier, Sam Leavitt, Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar and of course 2 x CFP national champion Carson Beck. 

If you want a sleeper name to watch out for, then mark down Duke QB Darian Mensah who has decent size, a live arm and is coming off a year where he threw for 3,646 yards, 30 TDs and 5 INTs while completing 67.9% of passes and throwing 20 TDs against the blitz. The only thing holding Mensah back is his deep ball consistency. One to watch. 

Christmas has come early for international Jets fans!

We are delighted to be running our festive ’12 Days of Christmas’ giveaway campaign once again in 2025, with new prizes available exclusively to Jets fans in the UK and Ireland, every day from December 13-24.

Our first giveaway will be available right here at nyjetsinternational.com – head over to the fan zone from Saturday 13 December and enter for your chance to win a signed London Game helmet from the 2025 season!

Following that, we will have further giveaways available to fans each day via:

Instagram – follow @newyorkjetsinuk to see the relevant entry posts during the competition period.

X – follow @nyjetsinukandie to see the relevant entry posts during the competition period.

NYJFC – sign up for free now and log in to check the rewards section of your account each day during the competition period in order to enter our exclusive contests.

Winners will be selected and contacted on the week commencing 29 December – best of luck to all entrants!

The Jets have experienced the kind of season you expect when you have a new regime installing from the ground up. There have been some sensational highs, some depressing lows and everything in between. The one consistent throughout the 2025 campaign has been the Special Teams unit led by first year coordinator Chris Banjo.

There is an argument to be made that the Jets have at least three Pro Bowlers on their special teams unit in punter Austin McNamara, kicker Nick Folk and return man Isaiah Williams, with all three of them playing a part in the Jets recent victory over the Falcons.

Isaiah Williams had a momentum shifting 82-yard return, Nick Folk kicked the winning 56-yard FG and Austin McNamara consistently pinned the Falcons deep in their own territory, including one punt that was downed inside the 5-yard line.

You don’t need statistics to tell you that the Jets have one of the best special teams units in football, but I’m going to give them to you anyway.

Last weekend, the Jets had an EPA (expected points added) of 15.22 against the Falcons, the second best single-game performance of any special teams unit in a game this season, and it just so happens to be the second best single-game performance by the Jets since the year 2000.

The Jets are:

#1 in the NFL in terms of field goals made (95.6%).
Joint first with a 100% conversion rate on extra points.
They’re one of only two teams to have both a kick return TD and a punt return TD.
The unit ranks 3rd in EPA across the entire season.
They’re #1 in kickoff return average at 29.6 yards.
They lead the NFL with 55 returns of 20+ yards and are 3rd with 5 returns of 40+ yards. 

They’re a top 10 team in punt return average and have had two returns of 20+ yards and one return of 40+ yards.

That’s just on the offensive production side of special teams. Defensively they’re also right up there with the best units in football. 

The Jets rank 3rd in the NFL having allowed just 89 yards of total punt return yardage all season, which is good for an average of 5.6 yards per return.
They’re top five with 22 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
They have the 6th best net average in the NFL at 43.6 yards per punt.
They also haven’t allowed a single return TD all season, whether through punts or kickoffs. 

Right now, Austin McNamara is making a very good argument for being the #1 punter in the NFL. The Arizona native went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2024 and was cut early in August last year before catching on with the Jets this season. 

His success is not overly surprising. Austin was a 3× first-team All-Big 12 in college and the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023. His emergence this year will have you dreaming that your punter position is secure for the foreseeable future. 

Austin often said that he believes his hang-time is what got him his opportunity with the Jets and the stats back him up. As of week 13 his 4.75 hang-time is the 2nd highest in the NFL. You can have a booming leg, but it’s largely pointless if you continuously outkick your coverage. 

McNamara has the perfect combination of directional punting, leg strength and hang-time. Right now he’s 7th in Pro Bowl Voting, but I think we can – and should – get him climbing up those rankings. 

The Jets are getting contributions up and down the lineup, including from Isaiah Williams who has quickly turned his Jets tenure around after he was demoted to the practice squad following some difficult moments on MNF. Add in the play of guys like Kene Nwangwu and Qwan’tez Stiggers who dived on the fumble on Sunday and you have a unit that is operating at a very high level. 

Then you get to Jets kicker Nick Folk, who made his debut in 2007, 6 years before special teams coordinator Chris Banjo made his own debut with the Green Bay Packers in 2013. 

Folk spent 7 years with the Jets between 2010-2016 before returning to the team this year, and his steady presence is proving incredibly helpful to first-time coordinator Banjo. 

Banjo learned his trade under one of the finest special teams coordinators in NFL history and a name very familiar to Jets fans, Mike Westhoff. Banjo worked as Westhoff’s assistant in Denver, and Mike has often called Banjo his protege. When Banjo was hired with the Jets this offseason, he brought Westhoff into camp, which if you ask this humble writer, was an incredibly smart thing to do. 

Earlier this week Aaron Glenn was asked about what makes Chris Banjo such an effective coach: “Those guys can relate to him really, really well.  He was one of those guys that was a true special teams demon so he understands how that part of our team has to operate.”

He certainly has the playing experience to tell some old war stories. Banjo recorded over 2,600 special teams snaps over his 10-year career, and when you combine that with the experience working under one of the very best, is it any surprise the Jets have one of the best units in football?

For the Jets head coach, life in green and white stretches back a long way.

Aaron Glenn grew up in Humble, Texas and went on to play for Texas A&M after a brief stint at Navarro College in Corsicana. As a teenager he nicknamed himself “Prime Time Jr.”after the legendary CB Deion Sanders. That changed to “showtime” at Navarro, where it became clear that Glenn was destined for bigger things. 

Glenn’s penchant for post-tackle theatrics didn’t go down well at College Station, with Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum saying it gave him a bad name. Glenn focused on his craft and won a number of accolades over his two year stop with the Aggies including the SWC Newcomer of the Year award in 1992, the SWC Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 while being named a Consensus All-American the same year. 

Coming out of college he was seen unanimously as a first-round draft pick. He reportedly ran a sub (or close to, depending on who you ask) 4.40 forty yard dash. Renowned for his quickness and ability to mirror receivers, Glenn was taken with the 12th overall pick by the Jets in the 1994 NFL Draft.

GM Dick Steinberg, who made the selection, said this of Glenn following the pick: “He’s got the speed, the instincts, and the toughness you want in a corner. We see him starting right away and helping us in the return game too.”

It was those instincts which really made people pay attention. Glenn had nine interceptions in two years with the Aggies and his 13 passes defensed led the nation in 1993. He also returned 2 of the 19 punts he returned in college for TDs. 

The focus in that 1994 offseason was to refresh the Jets defense with young talent and experienced veterans. As well as taking Glenn in the first round, the Jets also selected defensive tackle Lou Benfatti in the 3rd, linebacker Horace Morris in the 5th (great name by the way) and signed veterans Donald Evans and Perry Williams…although some of those moves worked out better than others. Williams, for example, never actually played for the Jets despite winning two Super Bowls with the Giants (XXI and XXV).

Glenn has always had humility and honesty. When he was asked to review his preseason performance against the Eagles in his rookie season he simply said “I don’t want to really talk about it… It wasn’t good.” While he didn’t log a trademark interception as a rookie, he made a number of notable plays and finished his season with 67 tackles and 2 forced fumbles, showcasing the quickness and instinctive play that made him a first round player.

His first interception would come in 1995 as he picked off Rick Mirer of the Seahawks, jumping a slant route, and in the same game he’d recover a fumble and take it on a mazy run that lasted around 30 seconds and gained around 10 yards. 

His career with the Jets was full of marquee moments. There was the 100-yard pick-six against the Dolphins in 1996, the 6-interception season in 1998 and of course we have to mention the fake spike situation in 1994, with Glenn along with the rest of the Jets defense being faked out by Dan Marino, which led to the TD that won the game for the Dolphins. 

In total, Glenn played in 124 games for the Jets including three in the playoffs. He recorded 24 interceptions, with three of those being returned for touchdowns. He had 36 pass defenses, 6 forced fumbles and 396 tackles. He returned 115 kicks and even took one to the house against the Bills in 1997.

During his final season in New York in 2001, Glenn’s 14 pass defenses led the team, as did his 5 interceptions. But that offseason, the Jets exposed him to be selected by the Houston Texans in the expansion draft. The decision to leave him unprotected was made by Terry Bradway who cited salary cap restraints as the reason he allowed both Glenn and Marcus Coleman to be selected from the defensive side, as well as offensive tackle Ryan Young who was taken with the second pick by the Texans. 

Glenn held the highest salary of all players selected by the Texans in the draft, and while his selection helped to solve the salary cap issues in NY, the Jets missed not only his playmaking ability on the field, but his leadership in the locker room. The Texans got a Texas native to build their defense around, and Glenn would go on to pick off 11 passes in 43 games for Houston as well as being named a Pro Bowler in 2002. 

Glenn would go on to play for the Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints before calling time on his career after the 2008 season. 

After a short stint as GM with the Houston Stallions in the Texas Lone Star Football league, it was the Jets who gave Glenn his first front office opportunity as a personnel scout in 2012. Glenn credits his mentor Bill Parcells for the motivation to scout because getting into the coaching game: “Bill Parcells told me, ‘If you want to be a great coach, learn how to evaluate talent first.’ That stuck with me.” 

He credits that start in personnel for helping him on his coaching career: “Being a scout taught me how to look at players beyond just athleticism. You learn to see character, fit, and upside. That’s helped me tremendously as a coach. I always knew I wanted to coach. Scouting was the bridge. It gave me the foundation to teach, not just react.”

That holistic approach to coaching is what Glenn is hoping to bring to the Jets as he continues to build this roster for sustained success. You sometimes have to go through some tough periods before you reap the rewards, and Glenn has experience in Detroit to call upon for that. Dan Campbell and Glenn arrived together in Detroit in 2021 with the Lions having missed the playoffs for four straight years and without a playoff victory since 1991. 

It wasn’t until week 13 of their first year that they tasted success on the field, and while they won just 3 games in that first year, it set the foundation for what we see today in Detroit. A team that has won more playoff games in two years than they did in the previous 30. Glenn will be hoping to replicate that turnaround and end another playoff drought here in New York.