4 Jets bold predictions for 2026 NFL season, including if Aaron Glenn will be fired

The New York Jets put their coaching faith in one of their own last offseason as they hired former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, an ex-Jets defensive back, to lead the team. Glenn and the Jets’ front office are hoping for a better 2026 season after the first-round selection of David Bailey, who is being hailed as the right choice by Glenn and company.

The Jets’ 53-man roster has been heavily scrutinized ahead of the start of the season, with fans wondering if it has enough talent to lead Glenn’s team back to prominence. Glenn, now 54, knows the NFL is a bottom-line business as well as anyone and is hearing whispers about a potential firing.

The Jets have not had a winning season since 2015, when Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall led the way on offense. They will attempt to reverse that trend with former Raiders and Seahawks QB Geno Smith, who hopes to capture his own version of ‘Fitz Magic’ this season in the Big Apple as a veteran quarterback looking to spark an ailing franchise.

Will Glenn save his job with a competitive 2026-27 season, or will the Jets continue to wallow in failure? Here are four bold predictions as the season prepares to get started:

1. The Jets’ passing game will impress 

The Jets have quietly built an exciting trio of wide receivers in Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and Omar Cooper Jr. to go with running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.

Smith’s fitness as a starting quarterback is being strongly questioned after last season with the Raiders, but he won’t have to be on the money with all of his passes considering the wealth of big-bodied targets he has to throw to this season. If he gets in trouble, a simple dump-off pass to Allen or Hall could suffice as a potential first-down play.

Smith has overcome the odds to remain an NFL starter into his mid-30s, and he won’t take the opportunity for granted. Expect the sharp-minded, gritty game manager Smith to make an impression on NFL fans and to keep his starting job for most of the year. The Jets likely won’t finish in the top 15 passing game-wise, but they will show enough promise to give fans a little hope for the future.

2. Cade Klubnik will play at some point 

The Jets’ backup quarterback out of Clemson has better skills than his fourth-round draft selection would indicate and will fight tooth and nail for reps. The former Heisman Trophy candidate has the improvisation skills to make things interesting and enough major college football experience to hang his hat on should he get a chance to show Jets fans what he can do this season.

The Jets will almost certainly be blown out multiple times, which should represent a golden opportunity for the young signal caller to see game action in 2026. New York is still looking to add another quarterback going into the season, possibly Will Levis, but Klubnik should get a chance to play at some point this season because of his untapped skills.

3. David Bailey will live up to his draft position

The Jets’ rookie defensive end is a stellar athlete who will enter a situation with nothing to lose and everything to prove. He will thrive under the defense-minded head coach Glenn and show why the Jets selected him with the second overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.

Bailey had a 98 production score heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, according to NFL.com, the best mark among edge rushers and defensive ends. He was a productive pass rusher all four seasons in college, including three at Stanford and one at Texas Tech, a total rarity among college players at his position.

Bailey’s freshman year ended with a bang as he finished with 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Expect Bailey to finish with at least 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks in year one with the Jets, giving defensive coordinator Brian Duker a prime foundational building block heading into the 2027 season.

4. Jets avoid AFC East basement and save Aaron Glenn’s job

Glenn’s contract with the Jets runs through 2029. He has enough organizational goodwill and a big enough body of work dating back to his playing days to survive what could be another rough season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Jets thrive on an underdog, never-say-die attitude, and Glenn is just the coach to fuel it, as demonstrated by his exciting and successful days calling the defensive plays in Detroit with Dan Campbell’s Lions.

In a division where the Miami Dolphins are expected to hit rock bottom and start over from scratch, Glenn has enough talent and fire in his belly to lead the Jets to a six- or seven-win season, which would likely keep him employed for the foreseeable future. Glenn should stick around until the end of 2027, when the Jets will likely change head coaches unless drastic improvements are made, which seems unlikely at this point in time.

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