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Evan & Tiki

Hour 3: Connor Hughes on Jets Chaos, Gruden, Reich, and Glenn

Evan & Tiki

Audacy

Sports

4.2988 Ratings

🗓️ 28 January 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Jets rumor mill hits a new level when reports surface that New York reached out to Jon Gruden, and the crew immediately connects the dots to a bigger, messier question: is this really Aaron Glenn’s show, or is Woody Johnson still lurking with “suggestions” that can shake the whole building? Connor Hughes joins to explain what he’s hearing from inside the organization, why the Jets’ coaching plan has felt scattered, and how quickly a bad start could turn any “big name” hire into instant chaos. Along the way, the conversation digs into how toxic the Jets’ reputation has become around the league, why the staff changes caught people off guard, and why the franchise feels like it’s stuck in a never ending cycle of headlines, embarrassment, and “trust us” messaging. If Gruden turned them down once, does that make it even more likely the Jets come crawling back later, especially if the season goes sideways again? And if the Jets keep operating like this, what does that say about who’s really steering the ship?

Transcript

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0:00.0

My interpretation of the Jets reaching out to John Gruden is that next year, when Aaron Glenn is gone, Woody Johnson's going to reach out again and this time make John Gruden the head coach. That's how I feel. Now let's get some information from one of the best reporters out there, the great Connor Hughes, who does a fine job with SNY. Connor, as always, thank you very much for coming on. I'm doing well, guys. How are you? Fantastic. Am I wrong to surmise that the reaching out to John Gruden wouldn't have come from Aaron Glenn, but would come from ownership? Am I wrong to think that? From my understanding, and this is talking from sources within the Jets building, and you know, there's going to be two sides to everything. You can talk to people outside the Jets building. They're going to say this inside the building. The Jets are saying this. They stress, and you can choose who you want to believe, they stress that Woody Johnson has been very hands-off in this approach, that they is truly letting Aaron Glenn and Darren Mugi run the decisions and make the decisions. With that said,

0:56.3

throughout his time as owner, Woody has been somebody that offers his suggestions and throws his

1:01.9

things out there. I know this from talking to previous Jets coaches that they would be in the building

1:05.7

and whether it was a player to target or somebody to draft. Woody would make his opinion be known

1:09.7

and then it was on the coaches to either say,

1:11.5

yeah, let's go through with that

1:12.5

or yeah, let's not go through with that. When it comes to somebody like John Gruden and that star power, I would assume that Woody in some way, shape, or form contributed to that conversation, whether he was the resounding voices saying, let's go try to get him. I don't know that, but I'm sure this wasn't something that was not or never came across his table whatsoever.

1:30.0

Yeah, but doesn't this feel like

1:31.8

it would be a a threat to erin glens job security if john gruden is on the staff i i i don't

1:42.1

foresee john gruden working underneath anybody.

1:45.0

I mean, that this is there.

1:46.3

But I'm just saying, if he's on the staff, isn't it like, all right, Aaron, you're not doing a good enough job. You're one in five to start the season. You're fired. Here's a, here's the recipe for disaster. Right. It's a recipe for disaster because you're right. as soon as the jets start the season, oh and two, it's going to be get John and get John in there, get John in there.

2:02.9

It never would have worked.

2:04.0

Now, I think the, and Chavre has Zach Rosenblatt for breaking the story and getting that tidbit and putting it out there. But the damning part of it was that John was just like, yeah, I'm good guys. I want no interest in that. That's like the pile on here for the Jets, is that they're going through it.

2:18.1

And Evan, you're obviously a diehard fan here. I've covered the team for a really long time.

2:22.3

I mean, I don't go back as far as you do with Fandhood. My coverage starts 2014.

2:27.4

But I can't totally recall this team getting dragged to the degree that they are being dragged.

2:34.5

And I think if you look at it just from this offseason, like it's nothing so crazy or

2:40.0

asinine that we haven't seen from this team before, I think it's just the pile on over the last

2:45.0

15 years of like, oh my goodness, here we go again.

2:47.7

It just keeps piling on.

2:49.2

It adds up.

...

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