Jets coach Aaron Glenn believes team is building solid foundation for future success

Aaron Glenn hates the Jets’ record — and all of the futility marks that they’re extending — but he likes the groundwork that he’s setting.

Glenn has confidence in himself and that the foundation he’s building will lead to extended success. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it’s been an ongoing theme for every coach who has tried to change the direction of the franchise.

The Jets (2-9) clinched their 10th straight losing season with Sunday’s loss in Baltimore and will be knocked out of postseason contention in the near future, extending their playoff drought to 15 years. But Glenn sees things changing, even if others are having difficulty believing it.

“Everybody wants to win now, but you can’t lose sight of what you’re trying to build,” Glenn said on a Zoom call Monday morning. “You can easily just go get a bunch of players from the outside and bring them in, and you might win just off talent alone. You’re not going to win a lot of games by doing it, but you’ll win some games by doing that.

“But is the foundation of what you’re doing really set, of who you are and what you’re trying to build? I try to make sure with our players, even with our staff, we keep a focus on that. We’re trying to build things the right way to make sure that we sustain the winning that we’re going to do once this thing gets to where it’s going to get to.”

The Jets have gone the route of paying for big names, and it hasn’t been fruitful. Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are trying to find players that fit their vision. They’re weeding out some that they inherited. Some will stay, but the new Jets regime will continue to bring in players who fit what Glenn wants.

With six games remaining, many players are auditioning for a role on this team in 2026 and beyond. Some first-year Jets believe in Glenn and sound as if they want to be here when — and if — it turns.

“I have so much respect for him and the way he’s handled everything and his leadership and leadership style,” said center Josh Myers, in his first year with the Jets. “It’s a good culture that he’s instilling. I think positive things are coming for sure.”

Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who was acquired from the Vikings in August and has a non-guaranteed salary for next season, said the foundation, thumbprint and identity have been made clear by Glenn.

“He deserves to win,” Phillips said, “and I believe he will.”

Phillips quickly has emerged as a leader. He spoke to the team the night before its first win of the season in Cincinnati. The Jets were 0-7 at the time, and Phillips’ message was stay strong, keep believing and play the long game.

“I said to them you might have beat me yesterday, you might beat me today, hell, you might even beat me tomorrow, but you will not beat me in the end,” Phillips said. “You have to have the power to be unstoppable. But the issue with that message is that sometimes you feel like there’s a lack of depth perception and you’re keeping a goal far away from yourself, that you might never accomplish that, and you just perpetuate the fact that you’re never going to get there.

“You have to have the mental toughness to play the long game, but you also have to have the maturity to recognize that it’s not as far away as you’d think.”

Phillips sounds as if he could be part of the Jets’ future. He was on teams in Buffalo and Minnesota that missed the playoffs one year and won the division title the next.

“It takes time, but there’s always a sense of urgency with it,” Phillips said. “I’m really optimistic.”

The Jets have been more competitive in their last six games than their previous four. Glenn said they need to develop the “mental toughness” to respond when adversity hits.

Glenn talks frequently with owner Woody Johnson. The coach said they both want to win now but that Johnson understands “you have to build things a certain way to consistently win.”

In the meantime, the Jets are taking their lumps again.

“It’s tough,” Glenn said. “It is, it is. But we also have a forward-thinking mentality as far as, man, it’s here’s where we’re trying to go. And we have a vision of where we’re trying to go and we try not to lose sight of that.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.