The Jets spent Tuesday huddling with their top choices for their head coach and general manager openings but still had not closed a deal with them as of Tuesday night.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark had second interviews with the Jets.
Both interviews were done in-person in Florham Park after their first interviews were done virtually.
Both men left the Jets headquarters on Tuesday evening, but there remained optimism that a deal would be struck to make Glenn the next head coach and Newmark the next GM.
The Jets do not have any other second interviews scheduled and these were the first candidates asked back.
Glenn could be in demand.
The Saints want to have him in for another interview but the weather in New Orleans may help the Jets out.
He originally was scheduled to interview with the Saints on Wednesday but a rare blizzard there has forced them to delay their second round of interviews.
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Glenn, 52, is a familiar name for Jets fans.
He was a first-round pick of the team in 1994 and played eight seasons for the Jets.
He spent the past four seasons as the Lions defensive coordinator and was part of that franchise turning things around from perennial loser to playoff team.
The Lions were the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season after going 15-2.
They were shocked by the Commanders 45-31 in the divisional round on Saturday.
Newmark is part of that Commanders organization, serving under GM Adam Peters for the past year.
Prior to going to Washington, Newmark was with the Lions for 26 years.
Newmark and Glenn know each other from the time they overlapped in Detroit.
Newmark was seen as a possible GM candidate in Las Vegas if Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson took the Raiders job.
Johnson instead chose the Bears, who already have a GM in place, and that freed up Newmark for the Jets to pursue.
It is important for the Jets to team up two leaders who have some familiarity with each other.
The Jets have gone through several bad GM-head coach marriages in recent years.
Glenn and Newmark were both part of turning the Lions around, something the Jets are trying to replicate.
The Jets went 5-12 this season after entering the year with Super Bowl aspirations.
They missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year, which is the longest drought in North American sports, and suffered their ninth straight losing season.
The big question with Glenn will be who he hires as his offensive coordinator.
League sources said Glenn is considering Scott Turner, who most recently served as Raiders interim offensive coordinator, and Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley for the job.
One name mentioned for defensive coordinator has been veteran coach Steve Wilks, according to sources.
Titans cornerbacks coach Chris Harris is also under consideration for a role on the coaching staff, according to a source.
Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo is a possibility for special teams coordinator, according to a league source.
The Jets are trying to replace coach Robert Saleh, who was fired after five games last season, and GM Joe Douglas, who was fired six weeks later.
The team conducted an extensive search, interviewing 16 coaching candidates and 15 GM candidates.
Glenn has been considered the favorite for the coaching job since Mike Vrabel went to the Patriots.
The Lions’ surprising loss to Washington accelerated the hiring process.
If the Lions had won, the Jets would have been unable to interview Glenn in person until next week.
But the loss sped up the process.
Glenn was scheduled to interview a second time with the Saints on Wednesday but the Jets made sure that did not happen.
Glenn also interviewed with the Jaguars, Raiders and Bears during this hiring cycle.
Glenn began his post-playing career as a scout with the Jets in 2012-13.
He then worked as a coach for the Browns and Saints before taking the Lions job under head coach Dan Campbell in 2021.