The Jets were first considering potential replacements for their head coach and general manager position Tuesday night, but as of Tuesday night they had not yet signed a contract.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark met with the Jets for a second time.
Both interviews were conducted in-person at Florham Park after the first interview was conducted virtually.
Both men left Jets headquarters Tuesday night, but there remained optimism that a deal would be reached with Glenn as the next head coach and Newmark as the next general manager.
The Jets had no other second-round interviews scheduled, and these were the first candidates questioned.
Glenn may be in demand.
The Saints would like to make him available for another interview, but the weather in New Orleans may help the Jets.
He was originally scheduled to meet with the Saints on Wednesday, but his second meeting was postponed due to a rare snowstorm at the Saints.
Glenn, 52, is a familiar name to Jets fans.
He was the team's first-round pick in 1994 and played eight seasons with the Jets.
He spent the past four seasons as the Lions' defensive coordinator and was part of a team that turned things around from a losing team to a playoff team.
The Lions are 15-2 and are the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season.
They shocked the Coaches 45-31 in Saturday's divisional round.
Newmark is a member of that Commanders organization and worked under general manager Adam Peters last year.
Before going to Washington, Newmark spent 26 years with the Lions.
Newmark and Glenn have known each other since they overlapped in Detroit.
Newmark was seen as a potential GM candidate in Las Vegas if Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson took the Raiders job.
Johnson instead chose the Bears, who already had a general manager in place, leaving the Jets free to pursue Newmark.
It's important for the Jets to team up with two leaders who have some knowledge of each other.
The Jets have had some bad GM-head coach marriages in recent years.
Glenn and Newmark both helped rebuild the Lions, and the Jets are looking to replicate that.
The Jets entered this year with dreams of making the Super Bowl, and went 5-12 this season.
They have missed the playoffs for 14 consecutive years, the longest drought in North American sports, and have lost for nine consecutive years.
The big question for Glenn will be who to hire as offensive coordinator.
League sources say Glenn is considering Scott Turner, who recently served as interim offensive coordinator for the Raiders, and Rams tight ends coach Nick Keary as possible replacements.
According to sources, veteran coach Steve Wilkes has been named as the defensive coordinator.
Titans cornerbacks coach Chris Harris is also being considered for a role on the coaching staff, according to sources.
Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo may become special teams coordinator, league officials said.
The Jets are looking to replace coach Robert Saleh, who was fired after five games last season, and general manager Joe Douglas, who was fired after six weeks.
The team conducted an extensive search and interviewed 16 coaching candidates and 15 general manager candidates.
Glenn was considered a top candidate for the coaching job after Mike Vrabel left for the Patriots.
The Lions' surprise loss to Washington accelerated the recruiting process.
If the Lions had won, the Jets wouldn't have been able to interview Glenn in person until next week.
But losses accelerated the process.
Glenn was scheduled to have a second interview with the Saints on Wednesday, but the Jets prevented that from happening.
Glenn also interviewed with the Jaguars, Raiders, and Bears during this recruiting cycle.
Glenn began his post career as a scout for the Jets in 2012-13.
He later coached with the Browns and Saints before joining the Lions in 2021 under head coach Dan Campbell.
