It’s safe to say the 2025 Jets season was one to forget.
The team entered its first season under newly minted head coach Aaron Glenn, hoping to at least reverse the culture that had been created before.
Instead, it only got worse. A league bottom offense in points and yards per game, meshed with a defense that allowed the second most points per game, and never mustered up an interception in 17 games, was not the expectation.
Yet, it’s what happened, and the result was New York limping to a 3-14 record and raising questions about whether Glenn would even return as coach. The former Jets cornerback is back on the sidelines for his second year as the team is set to begin training camp on July 28.
With camp opening up soon, there are still questions to be answered before the first preseason game against Tampa Bay on Aug. 14.
Quarterback situation
The biggest question mark of the offseason was how the Jets would navigate the quarterback room. They had signed Justin Field to a two-year deal in 2025, but the stint was short-lived.
He played in just nine games in New York, dealing with injuries and being benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor. Despite having seven touchdown passes, the former Ohio State quarterback went just 2-7 in games he started under center.
So, he was ushered out of town and traded to Kansas City.
As for the Jets, they brought back former quarterback Genno Smith, who spent last season with the Raiders. They also went out of their way to add Bailey Zappe, while also drafting Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik in the fourth round.
And don’t forget, Brady Cook, who went 0-4 as a rookie last year, is still on the roster.
It’s hard to beat around the bush that, at first glance, the room is less than appealing. Smith, who is back on the Jets after 10 years, has 40 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in his last two seasons in Las Vegas and Seattle.
While the Jets spent the draft adding pieces on the offensive side of the ball, the main signal-caller remains a question. Smith is firmly planted as the starter; that’s not going to change, but the biggest thing to see is how the others are behind him. Does Klubnik show the flashes he showed at times with Clemson, and does Cook show improvement in his second year?
The defense
With Smith being the biggest question of the offseason, the second has been what the defense will look like in Glenn’s second season. New York hired Brian Duker as defensive coordinator. The 37-year-old Duker worked with Glenn as the pair were a part of Lion head coach Dan Campbell’s first staff in 2021.
Duker was a defensive analyst before becoming the defensive backs coach in 2023, before departing for Miami for the 2024 season. He was with the Dolphins as the secondary coach and pass game coordinator for two seasons.
The Dolphins were a middle-of-the-pack secondary last year, but much of that was due to personnel. Miami posted the ninth-best passing defense in 2024. Duker was also credited with developing players like Brian Branch while he was in Detroit.
That will be needed with the Jets, a team that didn’t manage a single interception last year. The Jets drafted Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds with the 50th overall pick, as well as Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey with the second pick.
It will look to see how Dukers’ defense performs in training camp, which will be his first time holding a coordinator position.
The offensive additions
While Glenn chose a younger name for the defensive coordinator, he chose veteran coach Frank Reich as the team’s new offensive coordinator. The former Colts and Panthers head coach spent last season as Stanford’s interim head coach and now returns to the NFL ranks.
With Breece Hall returning and the selections of Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., it will be telling to see how Reich uses the personnel in 2026.
While quarterback play is still an obvious question mark, the team has brought in weapons that can at least develop over the course of the season.
For more on the Jets, visit AMNY.com
