EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - It's getting late for the Aaron Glenn era of the Jets.
After their 38-33 loss to the Raiders , Gang Green fell to 2-6 in the 2026 season and 5-20 in their first 25 games under Glenn. It appears obvious that the future of the head coach is only a matter of when, and not if, they move on from him.
Sunday's loss was more of the same : poor in-game coaching, a lack of adjustments, and failed execution when the team needed it most. And it's left both players and coaches looking for answers.
Here are some of the biggest quotes to keep an eye on after Week 8 and ahead of the final stretch before the NFL trade deadline.
This was the quote of the day. After another defeat, the team's sixth in their last seven contests, All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick explained why the team's defense struggled as much as it did on Sunday.
"I think we had some bad penalties, bad mistakes. Jets being Jets."
Jets being Jets. Same old Jets. The moniker that Glenn has tried repeatedly to end came back at the worst time, from one of his most important leaders.
Now, Jets PR afterward did clarify Fitzpatrick's comments, saying he actually meant Jets "beating" Jets, inferring the fact the team was beating themselves with mental and physical mistakes after the game.
But it doesn't change the fact that players understand what comes with playing for the team. What can go wrong will go wrong. And no one has a plan to stop that.
"It's something different every single week; that's the frustrating part," Fitzpatrick said. "It's not a consistent problem. The only good thing about that is we can fix the thing we struggled last week, but at some point we have to play consistent football."
As usual, Glenn made several mistakes over the course of Sunday's loss . Chief among them, though, was his willingness to take field goals early in the game, including on their first two drives, instead of going for it on fourth down.
The Jets traded field goals for touchdowns with the Raiders. It's no wonder that the team lost by five. On Monday, though, Glenn made it clear he felt he made the right decision with those passive calls, while pointing to other issues as to why the team lost.
"That was the decision we wanted to make. Those field goals had no (bearing) on why we lost this game... I'm going to stand on going for the field goals in that situation."
Glenn is not the only defensive-minded head coach with a very passive in-game decision-making process. In fact, most head coaches with a defensive background tend to be conservative with their decision-making when it comes to points.
But there's also a reason why those coaches tend to struggle more than offensive guys. It's because they come in with a desire to see their defense play physically and aggressively, but they won't match that with in-game decision-making.
Glenn's defense of his decision-making is expected, but it's also fair to say his mindset from the very beginning was wrong on both counts, as it's been for the first 25 games of his tenure.
No group has been more disappointing this season for the Jets than their special teams roster. Injuries have played a part in the struggles, but they don't excuse the 95-yard return for a score they gave up to the Raiders early in the contest.
"Special teams, we can't give up a return," Glenn said. "We've got to find a way to getbetter at what we're doing."
New York's return game has been non-existent, too. The fact is that the group was the best overall unit in the league last season and has been a major hindrance to them in 2026. Chris Banjo seemed like the coordinator who could do no wrong last year.
Now, like Glenn, he appears to be on the hot seat.
Last week, an uncomfortable conversation . Now, it's reality. Jets running back Braelon Allen has earned the starting job in the offense after another stellar performance on Sunday. The former Wisconsin product had 21 carries for 147 yards and over seven yards per carry.
He's the first Jets runner since 2004 to record 100 yards rushing in three straight games and is on pace for a 1,200-yard season. There is no way that, following Breece Hall's eventual return from injury, the team will go back to their former star as the starter after these numbers.
Even if it means Hall won't be on the trade block.
"Breece is still a part of this team," Glenn said. "I've said it before: We're in the business of keeping good players, and he's one of our better players, so he'll be here."
Allen has recorded 419 rushing yards over his last four games. It's more than any four-game stretch Hall has had in his entire career.
The changing of the guard has happened. It's not a theory anymore. When Hall returns, he will be the third-down back, but nothing more. Allen has taken over.
By the way, Allen is only 22 years old. There's plenty more to come from him.
At 2-6, it's become clear that the current Jets coaching staff will not be here beyond the 2026 regular season. Eventually, they will go in a different direction.
That doesn't mean the players will sign up for that. Despite the record and coaching struggles throughout the season, New York's roster remains steadfast in their belief in Glenn as both head coach and leader.
"We have to claw our way out of the darkness." "I believe in him, the guys believe in him, and that's one of the things that you haven't seen from this group, is any wavering or any cracking, or any flinching, or any finger-pointing, and that's because of his leadership."
As a former player himself, Glenn understands that the NFL is a results business. He won't get many opportunities to prove himself for the remainder of the season. But that isn't going to distract him either as the losses continue to pile up.
"There's so much that I think about when it comes to us improving each week that really doesn't come across my mind, to be honest with you," Glenn said. "It's a bottom-line business, and we have to win, but we still have nine games left, so we still have an opportunity to win nine games."
New York is going to finish below .500 for the 11th straight season and miss the playoffs for the 16th straight year. What appears to be a foregone conclusion will most likely only happen at the end of the year, though.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Most Important Jets Postgame Quotes From Week 8 (And What They Mean Moving Forward) .
