Jets, Raiders, Bears All Ready To Become Winners In 2025

Forbes

26-07-2025

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn will put a violent defense on the field in 2025. (Photo by Ed ...)
Coaching matters in the NFL, more than it does in the other major North American sports. Finding the right head coach can infuse life into a franchise and turn a loser into a winner – seemingly overnight.
The New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears all are going with new head coaches this year after brutal 2024 seasons. All three teams have been disappointing losers for years, but the presence of Aaron Glenn with the Jets, Pete Carroll with the Raiders and Ben Johnson with the Bears are the key moves that will result in a turnaround for all three teams.
Glenn was the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, one of the most aggressive and nastiest defensive teams in the league the past two seasons. That assessment is all the more impressive because the Lions suffered brutal injuries on the defensive side of the ball last year and still finished 5th in rushing defense and 7th in points allowed.
Glenn refused to let the Lions feel sorry for themselves despite the season-changing loss of superstar defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions got much of their aggressiveness Glenn, and that characteristic has continued with the Jets. The first move the team made after his hiring was getting rid of diva quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Glenn wanted nothing to do with the 41-year-old quarterback and he has turned over the starting job to Justin Fields. This is addition by subtraction. Neither Glenn nor general manager Darren Mougey wanted Rodgers around any longer.
While Fields has his flaws – accuracy and holding on to the ball too long – the Jets are going to emphasize running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson on offense. However, it is the defense that will set the tone for the Jets.
The new head coach will make sure the Jets play attacking and violent defense in 2025. 'Glenn always talks about being physical, being violent on the D-Line,' said defensive tackle Jay Tufele. 'He always says it starts up front. I haven't played in this kind of defense since high school. It's something I've always wanted to be a part of. To get off and attack and be physical — that's our defense.'
Ancient warrior Pete Carroll breathes life into Raiders
Head coach Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders takes an active role in practice with the Raiders. ... More (Photo by)
Pete Carroll is back in the NFL and has taken his place in the league's best coaching division. The Raiders were overwhelmed in this area in 2024 with Antonio Pierce as the main man on the sidelines competing against Andy Reid of the Chiefs, Jim Harbaugh of the Chargers and Sean Payton of the Broncos.
Carroll's presence gives this team a fighting chance to build a successful team that competes for a playoff spot. The former Super Bowl-winning coach with the Seattle Seahawks delivers an optimistic presence that the Raiders haven't seen from a head coach in decades.
The 73-year-old Carroll is the oldest head coach in the NFL, and while he has always coached with enthusiasm, he still has some old-school characteristics that few coaches will employ. Carroll will push the Raiders harder throughout training camp than most of his peers.
Rule changes have done away with two-a-days, but Carroll will work his team more during the summer than other head coaches. He will also give quarterback Geno Smith a chance to excel with the Raiders. He has been close to a top-10 quarterback during the last three seasons and he is far better than the team has had over that span.
The combination of Smith and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty in the backfield will give the Raiders a new look on offense. They should have a surprisingly sharp start with a relatively easy schedule at the start of the year and the Raiders will return to a winning record for the first time since the 2021 season.
Ben Johnson was the hottest name among NFL assistants last year and he proved himself as the offensive coordinator of the explosive Detroit Lions.
Johnson could have gone to any of the teams that needed head coaches last season, and he brings organization and decisiveness to the leadership of the Chicago Bears. While his most obvious job is working with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, that's not his main goal.
The Bears need discipline and the endurance to sustain strong play through the fourth quarter. The Bears gave away too many games in the final minutes under former head coach Matt Eberflus last year and that can't happen again.
His offense with the Lions put teams away in the fourth quarter last year, and that's what has to happen this year for the Bears to become a winning team again.
The competition is brutal in the NFC North with the Lions, Vikings and Packers, but Johnson must develop consistency and confidence in a team that has had little of either characteristic for many seasons.
Glenn, Carroll and Johnson have all gone to teams that have been disappointing their fans for years. All three have a chance to turn things around in their first seasons with their new teams.