So it wouldn’t be all that surprising if NFL Network cameras caught New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn sleeping during the NFL Combine on Thursday.
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It wouldn’t be a great look either if that were the case.
That scenario became an open question Thursday after footage emerged in which it appears Glenn had his eyes closed during the event.
The jokes write themselves. “Do you want to know why the Jets went 3-14 last season? It’s probably because their head coach fell asleep at the combine.” Given the Jets’ recent struggles and Glenn’s difficult head coaching debut, it’s easy to make jokes and assume the worst.It’s also silly to assume that’s what happens in the clip. Given the distance and angle of the camera shot, it is possible that Glenn has his eyes down and is looking at a sheet of paper or a laptop in front of him. Given how quickly he reacts once the cameras are on him, it’s certainly plausible that he was watching coverage of the event and perked up when he realized they were showing him on the broadcast.
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But that won’t stop fans from making jokes, because let’s face it, the Jets are an easy target. The team hasn’t posted a winning season since 2015, and the team’s two big offseason moves last year (Glenn and quarterback Justin Fields) fell through. While Fields’ struggles have reached a point where his future as a starter may be ruled out, it is too early in Glenn’s coaching career to make those types of statements. Things didn’t go well in his first season, but he can still salvage things in year 2.
The chances of that happening likely depend on how well the Jets perform in the 2026 NFL Draft, where the team has the second overall pick. Expecting the Jets to crush the draft might be asking too much considering the team’s recent history, but the team would probably do better in that case if their head coach was awake and paying attention during the combine.
We hope, for the sake of Jets fans, that was the case on Thursday.