Why having the No. 1 pick could be troubling trend for Jets' Aaron Glenn

"Of the last eight quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall, six of them experienced a head coaching change in their rookie season. "Kind of shocking," a longtime personnel executive said. The latest is Cam Ward, whose coach, Brian Callahan, was fired this week after only 23 games (4-19) with the Titans. Most recently, it also happened to Caleb Williams ( Chicago Bears, 2024) and Bryce Young ( Carolina Panthers, 2023), whom the Jets face Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Sudden change for a young quarterback can stunt his development, often contributing to a vicious cycle of instability at the two most important positions in an organization -- coach and quarterback."

"The only winless team at 0-6, they're the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, and they probably will be in the quarterback market. Coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey likely will be entrusted with the enormous responsibility of picking and developing a quarterback. Could they get it right? The early returns aren't promising. They fired Aaron Rodgers, who is playing solid ball for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and replaced him with Justin Fields -- 29th out of 33 qualified passers in Total QBR. They gave him a $30 million guarantee, betting that Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand -- both first-timers -- could get him to play at a level his previous teams couldn't."

Six of the last eight No. 1 overall quarterbacks experienced a head coaching change during their rookie season, with recent examples including Cam Ward, Caleb Williams and Bryce Young. Head-coach turnover can stunt a young quarterback's development and create a cycle of instability between coach and quarterback. The New York Jets sit 0-6 and are a leading contender for the 2026 No. 1 pick, placing heavy responsibility on coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey to select and develop a quarterback. The Jets replaced Aaron Rodgers with Justin Fields, who ranks near the bottom in Total QBR and carries a $30 million guarantee while new coordinators attempt to maximize his skill set.

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