Aaron Glenn Already Testy With New York Media For No Good Reason

Aaron Glenn is a rookie NFL head coach responsible for one of the league's worst teams from a year ago in the nation's largest media market. So things are bound to go sideways at times this season.

But so soon?

Over, basically, nothing?

Pick your battles better, coach.

Glenn Refuses To Explain Key Decision

Glenn on Thursday apparently got torqued off about explaining his decision to play starters in the Jets preseason-opener Saturday evening against the Green Bay Packers.

"We're playing," Aaron said in announcing his intentions. "We're playing. I can't tell you, like, how much guys are going to play. It's going to factor how the game goes. But we're playing."

Cool.

So, a reporter asked what his reasoning was for playing the starters.

"Because we're going to play," Glenn said. "That's the reason."

It's important, the reporter suggested, for new quarterback Justin Fields to …

"I want our guys to play," Glenn interrupted. "That's the reason."

And then we get a little awkward silence in the room.

This shouldn't be a thing. Multiple NFL coaches have decided to play their starters in the first full week of the NFL preseason.

Jul 25, 2025; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn speaks to the media during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Glenn Good And Bad Moments With Media

So, my question is, why choose this route? What gets accomplished here other than alienating some reporter?

Was he mad at that reporter? All reporters? His team and he took it out on the scribe? 

What's to be gained by it, other than it looks uncomfortable on the video the club puts out to the entire Earth?

And this: If Glenn is acting like this when his team is undefeated in 2025, how's he going to conduct himself when the losses start to pile up and hard questions come rapid fire?

Now, to be fair, this is a snapshot. 

Glenn, on the other hand, deserves credit for his transparency in providing injury information for reporters. And he's often expansive about his expectations for the team or players. He has even sometimes shared in-house thinking from his coaching perspective.

All that is going to win Glenn appreciation from the media. 

Jan 27, 2025; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn poses with his family during his introductory press conference at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Aaron Glenn Is Not Bill Parcells

But, unfortunately, that can get overshadowed by snippy Glenn moments.

Glenn, by the way, is a Bill Parcells disciple. He played for the man who was often hard on reporters as well as players. 

I remember when Parcells took over as the top football executive for the Miami Dolphins late in 2007, I called him. And the first thing he wanted to know was how I got his number. And the first thing he wanted to make sure I knew was he wasn't going to tell me anything.

Well, I called him again about three months later.

And Parcells answered the phone thusly: "Are you going to call me every day?"

But, you see, Bill Parcells was a Hall of Famer in waiting at the time. He'd won two Super Bowls. He'd lifted bad teams, such as the New England Patriots, to Super Bowl prominence.

Glenn hasn't done any of that. The last time he coached an NFL game was last season as the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator and his unit gave up 45 points. So, he doesn't deserve nor get that benefit of the doubt or level of respect Parcells earned. 

And if he allows himself moments like he had on Thursday, he's not soon going to get it.