Aidan Hutchinson makes his feelings known on Aaron Glenn after former Lions DC leaves for Jets HC job
The New York Jets' future looks promising with Aaron Glenn as their new head coach. That's according to one of Glenn's best defensive players from his time with the Detroit Lions, Aidan Hutchinson.
When asked about his former defensive coordinator on Thursday's edition of "The McAfee Show", Aidan Hutchinson said:
"He's so great. Our relationship developed so much over the three years I was with him. I feel like he knew what to say at the right time every time."
Glenn was the only coordinator Hutchinson ever knew in the NFL since being taken by the Lions at No. 2 in the 2022 NFL draft. A 2021 unanimous All-American at Michigan, Hutchinson was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023, registering 11.5 sacks and 33 quarterback hits that season. Hutchinson had nearly a third of the Lions' sacks in 2023 (11.5 of 41).
The Lions made the playoffs in consecutive seasons, finishing with the best record in the NFC in 2024 at 15-2.
"Every message, whether it was a win or whether it was a loss, he was on point," Hutchinson continued about Glenn.
As for how Glenn will fare as a head coach, the 2022 NFL Rookie of the Year said:
"Every time he said something, it was right, so him being a head coach, I think he's going to be a really good head coach."
Aaron Glenn's current defense in New York
Aaron Glenn is now leading one of the most talented defensive groups in the league.
The Jets allowed the third-fewest yards per game last season (313.8), though Quinnen Williams was their only player selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2023, Williams, Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson II were all named to the Pro Bowl.
The Jets have ranked in the top five for yards allowed per game in the previous three regular-season campaigns.
Glenn, who was drafted by the Jets in 1994, made three Pro Bowls as an NFL cornerback and was named to the Jets All-Time Four-Decade Team in 2003. This will be his third stop in New York after serving as a personnel scout for them during the 2012 campaign.
The 2025 season will be his first as an NFL head coach, although he's served in various coaching capacities in the league for over a decade.
He takes over a Jets team that finished 5-12 in 2024, missing the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season.