The Jets are hiring former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to be their next head coach, SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes confirms, and the team announced Wednesday.

According to multiple reports, Glenn's deal is for five years.

"I'm excited to welcome Aaron Glenn home as the head coach of the New York Jets," said Jets Chairman Robert Wood Johnson in a statement. "Aaron earned this opportunity through almost three decades of NFL experience – ten with us as a player and a scout. He brings tremendous leadership skills and the vision this organization needs to be successful. I am thrilled to see him lead this team."

After interviewing a host of candidates to fill its head coaching vacancy left by Robert Saleh, who was fired after the Jets started the season 2-3, New York chose Glenn, who played cornerback for Gang Green for eight seasons after the Jets drafted him No. 12 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft.

A three-time Pro Bowler (twice with New York), Glenn, 52, made the transition to coaching in 2014, when he was the assistant defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns for two years. He then moved on to the New Orleans Saints, where he spent five seasons as their defensive backs coach before being hired as defensive coordinator for the Lions, where he's been since 2021.

"This place is special for me," Glenn said. "From the time I was drafted and practiced on Long Island, to the time I came back as a scout in New Jersey, this organization has always felt like home. I'm thankful to Mr. Johnson for this opportunity. To our players, prepare to be coached with everything we have. That is our responsibility. I ask that we share the same vision and that's working towards winning a championship. To our fans, simply put, expect a winning team that you will be proud of."

Before getting his start in coaching, Glenn returned to the Jets as a personnel scout between 2012-13.

Despite limited coaching experience, Glenn was a hot commodity to fill other head coaching positions, including the Saints, where he finished his playing career.

Even with Glenn coming back to New York as head coach, the Jets are still in the process of finding their new general manager, though Washington Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark has been linked to both Glenn and the Jets.

Meanwhile, Hughes notes that Nick Caley (OC) and Steve Wilks (DC) are two names to keep an eye on when it comes to Glenn's coordinator hires. Caley, 42, is currently the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, while Wilks, who was the Arizona Cardinals head coach in 2018, was most recently in the NFL as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator (2023).

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