FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Gang greener: When Aaron Glenn was hired as an assistant coach by the New Orleans Saints in 2016, he received a roster-building tip from executive Jeff Ireland that he has carried with him on his coaching journey.
“You can’t be afraid of young players,” Glenn said this week, recalling Ireland’s words.
Some coaches can be skittish when managing inexperienced players, preferring to roll with seasoned vets. The first-year Jets coach doesn’t seem concerned about having a youthful roster based on what has transpired this offseason.
Early look at the 2026 NFL draft
• Reid’s way-too-early mock draft• Top prospects, QBs | Read more
The Jets are turning a darker shade of green before our eyes. They have only five players entering their age-30 season or older: quarterback Tyrod Taylor (36), long-snapper Thomas Hennessy (31), wide receivers Allen Lazard (30) and Josh Reynolds (30) and guard Zack Bailey (30).
Keep in mind that rosters are fluid this time of year, but only one team has fewer age-30 and older players than the Jets, per Spotrac: the Green Bay Packers (four).
For the Jets, it’s a stark contrast to last year, when they opened the season with 12 players in that category, most notably quarterback Aaron Rodgers (40), linebacker C.J. Mosley (32), tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses (both 33), kicker Greg Zuerlein (37) and punter Thomas Morstead (38).
They’re all gone, including wide receiver Davante Adams (32), a midseason addition.
The Jets, who finished 2024 with the eighth-oldest roster, are now 29th, per Spotrac.
“Listen, do we want younger players? Absolutely. It’s a young man’s game,” Glenn said. “It’s a young man’s game, but we want players that can help us win. So if those players happen to be 30 years old, we get those players. It just so happened that we got younger while we got players that could help us win.”
It was more than a coincidence. In free agency, they targeted players coming off their rookie contracts, namely quarterback Justin Fields (26) and cornerback Brandon Stephens (28).
The strategy made sense. Generally, younger players are faster, less injury-prone and coachable. That’s an important element for an organization trying to rebuild its culture.
2. Growing into the job: Edge rusher Will McDonald IV has gained 15 pounds, according to Glenn. He didn’t provide an exact weight, but it could put him in the 250s based on his listed weight from last season (236). The Jets say this is a good thing because they believe it will make him a stronger edge setter against the run.
There’s always a delicate balance when a speed player adds weight; the last thing you want to do is compromise his best asset.
“We’re going to let him loose,” Glenn said. “We’re going to let him go get the passer. That’s what he does best.”
One of the few bright spots last season, McDonald finished with 10.5 sacks but registered only 2.5 over the final 10 games. The extra weight may aid his endurance for the second half of the season.
3. You can’t flip a switch: There’s a lot of happy talk emanating from One Jets Drive about the new culture, which is what you’d expect with a new regime in charge. But this won’t be an overnight process, especially for an organization that has finished in last place in seven of the past 11 seasons.
Glenn knows this. In his previous stop, it took the Detroit Lions two full seasons before they flipped the script. The true test of culture, he said, is when adversity hits. And it will hit — that’s inevitable.
4. Ohio State reunion: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson remembers watching the 2021 draft, wondering why teams were passing on Fields, his college QB. Fields went 11th overall to the Chicago Bears, but Wilson felt he was good enough to go higher.
He followed Fields through his first two seasons in Chicago, thinking to himself that he would’ve made some catches that the Bears’ receivers didn’t. He always wanted to play with Fields, never thinking it would happen.
Best of NFL Nation
• Marvin Harrison Jr. bulking up for Year 2• Giants roster in better shape than 2024• Raiders have high hopes for rookie CB Porter• Mannion’s path to becoming Packers QBs coach• How Seattle rookie TE Arroyo affects Fant
His reaction when Fields signed in March?
“A big smile on [my] face,” Wilson said.
5. No Joshing: When the Jets signed former Packers starting center Josh Myers, it was widely assumed that he’d be the backup to incumbent Joe Tippmann. General manager Darren Mougey spiced it up when he said in late March that Myers is “going to compete to push Tippmann.”
Sure enough, that competition is underway. Tippmann and Myers are “battling their asses off right now,” guard John Simpson said this week.
Fun fact on Myers: He has started more games (56) than any lineman on the team — one more than Simpson. It’s the kind of experience in the pivot that could come in handy on such a young line. This is a positional battle to watch.
6. Cap relief: Rodgers and Mosley, both released in March with post-June 1 designations, are counting a combined $36.3 million on the salary cap. On June 2, that number drops to $13.5 million, making the Jets one of the leaders in cap room. They will have plenty of flexibility to sign Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner to contract extensions.
7. Safe(ty) at home: Safety Andre Cisco grew up on Long Island, and he watched a few Jets practices as a kid when they were based at Hofstra University and attended some home games with his mother. His favorite player was quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Now, after four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cisco is in the New York area again, enjoying the … air?
“Living here has been natural, and the air feels better,” he said.
Pigskin Pick ‘Em
FREE to play. Create up to 5 entries and compete for 57 prizes worth $100K. Make Your Picks
He wasn’t referring to air quality; he meant the crisp mornings, which he missed in Florida.
The Jets hope Cisco (eight interceptions in four years) can bring a playmaking element to their secondary. They haven’t had a true ball hawk at safety since Kerry Rhodes, circa 2007, back when Cisco was a 7-year-old Jets fan.
8. Jets are pro-push: At the NFL’s spring meeting this week, the Jets were among 10 teams that voted against the proposed ban of the tush push. It was close — the proposal came up two votes shy of approval — but the controversial play, popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles, will continue for the 2025 season.
It will be interesting to see if the Jets incorporate it into their playbook. Fields, one of the league’s most dangerous running quarterbacks, has attempted 12 push sneaks in his career, converting 11 for first downs, per ESPN Research. Since 2021, only two quarterbacks have tried it more than Fields: Jalen Hurts (86-for-100) and Josh Allen (50-for-55).
9. Hidden gems? When it comes to undrafted free agents, the amount of a player’s guarantee often indicates how much demand he generated after the draft. Some perspective: Not many players receive more than $200,000. The Jets doled out three relatively large contracts, according to Over the Cap:
Guard Leander Wiegand ($249,000), defensive tackle Payton Page ($201,500) and edge rusher Ja’Markis Weston ($200,000).
The Jets have a pretty good track record with undrafted free agents, typically keeping two or three on the final roster. With a new coaching staff, that number could rise this year.
10. Going back: Former Jets GM Joe Douglas has landed a scouting position with the Eagles, his previous team. Former coach Robert Saleh and former interim coach Jeff Ulbrich also were hired by their previous teams, the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.
Who says you can’t go home again?
