If Aaron Glenn is going to be the savior who turns the New York Jets around, he has to hit the ground running.
That means a competitive football team whose main focus remains on the field — a simple concept that, if executed, will do wonders for the organization’s reputation.
Here are five things to watch as the 2025 season kicks off.
Fields of Dreams?
Glenn and the Jets are giving quarterback Justin Fields a two-year runway to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback, something that has eluded the organization for decades.
The raw attributes are there. The 26-year-old can be a dual threat to be reckoned with on his day; there just have not been enough flashes to commit to that, yet. Just ask the Bears and Steelers.
His early days with the Jets have been shrouded in a bit of mystery. He attempted just nine passes in the preseason, completing four of them for 46 yards. His showings in training camp have been inconsistent, too, which does not inspire a ton of confidence.
But this appears to be a methodical process, as Glenn is going to give Fields ample time to figure this all out.
“Here’s the thing, we’re also going to continue to learn as the season progresses,” Glenn said. “These guys have had a number of practices out there in training camp, but once you get in games, things start to change a little bit. To me, it’s always been, I learned this from Bill Cowher years ago, that sometimes you really don’t know what your team is until you get four or five games down the road. Listen, we are all maturing in that aspect of really understanding real, true game action. Who are we going to be as a football team? I’m paying close attention to that.”
Run, run, run
Fields’ offense is largely going to be reliant on the run game, as his legs will have plenty of support coming from the backfield.
The Jets are entering the 2025 season with a three-headed system in the backfield, with Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis all vying for carries.
Hall has plenty to prove in a contract year, and Glenn has been adamant that he is going to “really turn it up a notch,” while shooting down trade rumors in the process. He should still be the centerpiece of the run game, but the competition is obvious.
Glenn and GM Darren Mougey have built the offense to live on the ground, beefing up an offensive line with the drafting of Armand Membou at the No. 7 overall in April. If he can step in as a Day 1 starter and last year’s No. 11 pick, Olu Fashunu takes a step forward, the Jets are going to like what they have up front.
Less drama, more winning
For as much as the on-field product needs to improve, there will be some measure of relief if the Jets stay out of the tabloids for their off-field dysfunction.
Glenn and Mougey made steps to address that upon their arrival, cutting ties with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams to end the circus that gripped One Jets Drive for a couple of years.
As luck would have it, they won’t be able to escape it completely with Week 1 coming against none other than Rodgers and the Steelers, but untold numbers of Jets fans will be relieved to see the future Hall of Famer on the opposite sidelines of MetLife Stadium this Sunday.
So far, Glenn has lived up to the mantra he put down at his introductory press conference.
“I’m a huge believer in moving in silence,” Glenn said back in March. “Let things play out how they need to play out. I think our staff has done a really good job of that. Let’s just make the moves we need to make. There doesn’t need to be this big hoopla for what we’re doing.”
Can the defense come back?
The Jets’ defensive line will be their anchor, with Quinnen Williams pulling the strings at the heart of it. Now at full strength, the front will be supported off the edge by Will McDonald IV, who is coming off a 10.5-sack season, and Jermaine Johnson, who is back in the fold after going down in Week 2 last year with a torn Achilles tendon.
At linebacker, Gang Green hopes Jamien Sherwood can be an upgrade from CJ Mosley, who declined throughout his stint in New York.
The x-factor, though, will be the secondary, particularly star cornerback Sauce Gardner, who regressed in 2024 after two standout campaigns. While his coverage waned, his tackling nosedived. With a new contract in hand, a renewed attack would do wonders.
Special Teams
While not usually a focal point when assessing a team’s hopes at the start of a season, the Jets’ special-teams unit could very well win them a few games this season.
If things play out as they seem, the Jets will be involved in several low-scoring, tight affairs, which will put plenty of responsibility on the leg of Nick Folk, who is back with the Jets after seven years away. The 40-year-old hit 21 of 22 field-goal attempts last season in 14 games with the Tennessee Titans.
Punter Austin McNamara has never taken a snap in a regular-season NFL game, but won a spot on the roster after averaging 49.2 yards per punt and pinning seven of his 14 attempts inside the 20-yard line.
The battle for field position is going ot be vital for a run-heavy Jets squad, so his success will be key.
