Jets Release Xavier Gipson Because Aaron Glenn Is Raising Expectations -- Whether He Admits It Or Not

The New York Jets made a minor roster move on Wednesday, releasing reserve wide receiver Xavier Gipson in a change that might go largely unnoticed on the transaction wire, except for the fact it speaks to how Aaron Glenn is raising expectations and the performance level of a team…

…Even if he has to be an assassin to do it.

Xavier Gipson Cut Days After Fumble

Gipson, you see, was cut three days after he fumbled a kickoff in the Jets' 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a game in which Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes and stuck the performance in every Jets employee's face. 

It was also a game in which Gipson's fumble on a kickoff directly led to one of Rodgers' TD passes.

Gipson's fumble was the game's only turnover.

"Man, we can't have turnovers," Glenn said immediately after the game. "We can't do it. We have to be a more disciplined team ... That's something that will be addressed. You will not be on the field with this team if you're going to cause us to lose games."

The hammer then fell on Gipson by Wednesday morning.

Aug 22, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Glenn Declines To Disrespect Gipson

Now, to be clear, Glenn is denying the major mistake is the reason Gipson was cut.

"I want it to be known that decisions that are made are not rash decisions and not based off one incident," Glenn said Wednesday. "Xavier is a really good player, and he's going to play in this league, but I thought it was time for us to move on in another direction. Leave it at that."

Sorry, can't leave it at that.

It was definitely about the fumble, no matter what the coach says. And this is genius on all sorts of levels, and it will have ramifications beyond the exchange of one kickoff returner for another.

Firstly, Glenn just showed a lot of public grace and respect for Gipson on the day he discarded him. This is the right way because it doesn't pile on a player who just got fired.

But this move will have reverberations within the Jets' locker room. There is no doubt of that. Players – some of whom were with the team in previous years when mistakes were excused and even tolerated – are seeing a difference. 

ROBERT SALEH LEBANON FLAG

Difference Between Glenn And Saleh

Consider:

• When Denzel Mims frequently ran the wrong routes or failed to crack the receiver rotation, former coach Robert Saleh avoided directly calling him out. Instead, he told reporters that Mims was "working through the playbook" and needed "time to adjust."
• When Mekhi Becton showed up to camp out of shape in 2022 and then suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back years, Saleh avoided harsh critiques, instead saying things like "He's a young man who's been through a lot" and framing setbacks as learning opportunities, rather than accountability issues.
• And don't even get me started on Zach Wilson. Despite Wilson’s repeated turnovers, poor decision-making, and struggles with accuracy, Saleh would consistently defend him in press conferences.

The coaches out there would argue that Saleh had to do these things in public to not lose the locker room. And that's fair.

But there's a scale to be balanced where publicly excusing a failing player sends the message to the locker room that failure will not only be tolerated but covered up publicly.

East Rutherford, NJ -- August 22, 2025 -- Payton Page of the Jets and coach Aaron Glenn before the game. The Philadelphia Eagles came to MetLife Stadium to play the NY Jets in the final preseason season game.

Jets Action Speaks Louder Than Words

Cutting a player days after he cost the team a touchdown sends the polar opposite message. Glenn could still take a public stance that the Gipson release had nothing to do with accountability for a big mistake, but the action of cutting him blared above that message.

"Man, we're trying to get the best players on this team that can play a role," Glenn said. "At this point, I just felt we need to have a change at that spot. It's just not that, in accountability. It's accountability in everything that we do. 

"So I don't want to pin it on, ‘He fumbled the ball.’ That's not it. There's a number of things that led up to this."

The assassin has spoken.