Brian Costello on WFAN: “The Jets Look Lost and the Locker Room Feels It”

Brian Costello on WFAN: “The Jets Look Lost and the Locker Room Feels It”

Evan and Tinka here on the fan on this Tuesday in the middle of October. And while it’s the middle of October and the Yankee season just finished and the Mets season’s been finished for two weeks, the Jets season’s been dead for a long time. They are like the carcass on the middle of the road. But over the last few days, we had uh the circus come to town because not only did the Jets find the creative and new way to stick it to their fans on a Sunday morning, we saw Aaron Glenn pull off some unspeakable decisions in the midst of that loss. And then after the game, he felt bad for our next guest. He felt bad for Brian Castello because I think Aaron Glenn knew, boy, Brian hasn’t been beaten up by Joe Bingo in a long time. So he’s like, you know what? If Joe hasn’t beat him up in a long time, I’ll beat him up by lecturing him and saying, “What kind of question is that?” Even though the question was completely legitimate. So, Brian Castello, great writer of the New York Post, longtime cover of the New York Jets. Uh, who tries to abuse you more in your opinion? Joe Bingo back in the day or Aaron Glenn? Oh, absolutely. Beningo, Evaningo’s for sure. I I I actually I’m glad I’m not speaking of Beningo these days, bro. This team sucks. Yeah, he’d be yelling at me and I’d have to be trying to find like, you know, I always ended up felt like I was defending the Jets talking to him when there is no defense right now. There is no defense right now. And let’s start there. Uh, what has shocked you the most about the Jets ineptitude in 2025? Just the way they’re losing, you know. Uh, I I didn’t think they were going to be good this year, but I thought of a 500 team. I picked them to go eight and nine, I think. So, and I I thought there’d be some early struggles and the offense might have some things to work out with a new play call, new quarterback, that kind of stuff, but I didn’t think they’d look this bad. And, you know, it’s been the defense looking bad. And then the offense, they’re taking turns. The offense looks terrible this week, the turnovers and penalties in other games, just finding ways to lose games. Uh, it’s been just, it’s just looked way worse than I expected it to. Yeah. And how how what is the feel in the locker room like? It’s hard I know when you winless at this point in the season to be optimistic. I know some guys were trying to but that felt like it faded last week. Yeah, it’s not good. Tiki. Yeah, I I think Well, last week was weird because they were in London. It was a little bit of a different feel, but the game after the game Sunday was it felt bad. Like it it was it was it was a bad locker room. There was guys that were pissed off. I think there was guys questioning what the hell happened at the end of the first half. Uh there was questioning what happened at the end of the game. Uh I I think there was it didn’t feel good. The vibe was not good after the game Sunday. And the other part of this is it’s just some of these guys have been through this so many times now that there’s this feeling around the Jets of here we go again. And it’s just they they know nothing but losing. So like I in my head almost like when they go into this off season and they’re looking at free agency like obviously you’re looking at the regular things of getting faster players, stronger players, better players, but they also need some dudes that have won in the NFL to just kind of come in the locker room and be like, “Hey, this is this is the way.” And like like Leanium Tomlinson was that guy way back when and they’ve had some other guys that did that, but to me that that’s Aaron Glenn needs that in the locker room. He needs some guys that are going to reinforce his message and guys that have some a resume that they can do it with. You know, the problem for the Jets right now is I just don’t think they have any in the locker room that can do that. The the good players haven’t won. Yeah. And in relation to the locker room, I know it’s very difficult for all of us to try to interpret what an Instagram post means or what a tweet means, but when Bree Hall says they want me to lay down, but I got something to stand for. #free20. It’s tough to not take that as someone that wants out and is pissed off. Do you get the vibe that Bree Hall is annoyed with the coaching staff or Mau whomever at this point? You know, these social media posts are very tough to interpret Evan. Sometimes they they mean nothing, sometimes they mean everything. And like we talked to Bree, I don’t know, on Friday in England and he and he was asked about the trade rumors and said he wants to be here. Bree sometimes has some fun. I think I think he likes to troll a little bit. Uh so I’m not sure what that was. I I still think he wants to be here. Um but I I don’t know. I don’t know what that that message was. And guys, just uh something some some breaking news for you. Not really about this team, but uh Nick Mangold announced that he needs a kidney. Uh he’s reaching out to see if there’s any kidney donors out there for him. So I’m sure you can find more information about that. Uh they just he just released it. Oh wow. Yeah, that’s sad to hear. Hope prayers and thoughts to him. Uh cuz Nick’s a good dude. Absolutely. Great dude indeed. We’re talking to Brian Castello about the Jets and everything going on with this franchise. Why do you believe Aaron Glenn is so loyal to Justin Fields? Uh look, I don’t think the alternative to Tyrod Taylor is that good to begin with, right? I get it. Like I understand the arguments. put him in last Sunday and and he he probably would have played I know he would have played better than Justin was playing in that game, but it’s not like there’s a future here. Like it’s not like going from Russ Russell Wilson to Jackson D, right? That’s something you’re like, “Okay, this guy’s the future. Let’s see it.” They don’t have that. But I I think the alternative isn’t great. I do think he believes in the guy like a lot. Like it’s crazy to me that he walked in the door and was guaranteed the starting job. I almost fell over in March when he said that because everything about Aaron Glenn has been like you got to earn it and even last week I asked him like are you going to make changes on defense you know like after that game are you going to make some personnel changes and he said uh everyone has to earn their keep but it seems like everyone but as Justin Fields keep so it’s a weird thing he he’s really fiercely loyal I I think you know he said I said yesterday like he doesn’t want to look it over his shoulder but I don’t know like It’s such part of the NFL, man. Like I it’s a very strange thing to me that he’s he’s this kind of defiant when it comes to one player. And Brian, isn’t it becoming at least, and again, we’re from afar. I’ve not been in the Jets locker room. I’m not around them like I am the Giants, so I don’t really have a feel on this, but I do know that once you start to get these, well, this guy is better. Man, I Tyrada gives us a better chance to win. Once you get that just a little sliver of a division, it really starts to divide the locker room. And then it and then you talk about how hard it is to win in the NFL. It becomes impossible to win at that point because every decision gets second guessed. And I know you mentioned this earlier about what kind of leaders in that locker room can step up and and in this case squash that. Who does that? Yeah. No one. Yeah. They don’t have that big locker room, you know? And I and like you know CJ Mosley was that guy for the last few years. He’s gone. So they do not have that. And yeah, I I think I think this week’s a big week for Justin Fields in terms of that. Like I think if he goes out and he can play decently against the Panthers and they they they just they desperately need a win, they get a win. He calms the waters. If he goes out and has another performance like he did Sunday against the Broncos, forget it. I mean, like Glenn has to go to Tyrod at some point in that game or he then he’s then we’re talking about losing the locker room. If he pulled Justin Fields in the middle of next week against Carolina, Sunday against Carolina, because it’s that bad, would you walk into the media room and kind of drop the mic on his ass and be like, “Oh, yeah, I thought it was a dumbass question. Now what do you say?” No, I would not, Evan. I would not. I like And look, to me, like what I like I think part of the thing is he has to learn with the media like just because I ask a question doesn’t mean I’m saying you’re you did the wrong thing. Like even if I’m asking why’d you punt on that fourth down like I think he takes it as we’re like saying you were wrong. I’m just I’m curious in the decision making stuff and I’m trying to ask questions I think I’m curious about and you’re curious about and everybody watching the games are curious about. So you know his reaction he’s he’ll learn over time. He’ll get better at it. It’s a tough situation. I mean Tiki you lived it. Of course you walk off the field like I feel for these guys sometimes. They’re still in the heat of battle. you can see it in their eyes sometimes when they’re coming in there and then we’re we have to hit them with these questions, right? At 0 and6 it’s like it ain’t it’s not fun sometimes to answer these questions. So I I kind I I get them. I cut him some slack in the post, right? I look and I remember these days like it it’s it’s hard to take your criticism as as something that could potentially make you better, right? And I always say this to to Sean and and these guys, your critics are your friends, right? They show you your faults type of thing. It’s a it’s an old famous Benjamin Franklin quote, but it’s hard when you’re losing, right? It’s easy when things are going well and it’s just like a small critique, but when it’s like the overarching story about your team, it feels like it’s all your fault, even though that’s not even what’s being told to you or criticized with you about, you know what I mean? Yep. Yeah. It’s tough. And I think, you know, I also I go to this with Aaron Glenn, like he think about who he is and think about what made him. He was a he was a quarterback in the NFL for 15 years. Like you don’t play that position unless you are super confident. Right. Right. Like I I tell people all the time like you have no idea the confidence level it takes to be a professional athlete. Like just to get there and not even the elite guys, everybody. They’re all you just you have to have this amazing self-belief to go all the way to that level. And then to be a Pro Bowl player like he was and play that long. And I feel like that position too, like you got to forget about it when you and bounce back. That’s who he is. So him like I think you know this oh like the arrogance or whatever you want to call it, that’s him, man. And like that’s that’s why he’s gotten to where he is. So I don’t think he’s going to back off of that. And I understand that. Just doesn’t look good right now at Owen Six. So I think sometimes in the press conferences maybe he needs to dial it back a little bit, but he also has to be himself. You don’t want to be Eric Manini and trying to be somebody you’re not at that podium. I don’t feel like Brian that he’s a a potential oneanddone guy. People want to keep saying it and speculating about that, but I don’t get that sense. Do you? No, I don’t. Um I I I think like look, the disasters are on the table right now. 0 and 17 is still on the table. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think they’re going to win games, but like that’s the only way I see it happening is they got 0 and 17, one and 16, but he’s being paid a lot of money, right? This co coaching cycle, the salaries jumped quite a bit. And so I don’t know if Lee Johnson’s gonna want to eat four years of that money and also the whole coaching staff. So like start there like there’s a financial component of this. But I also think they know like this changing the whole culture and all that stuff was wasn’t going to happen overnight. I do think Woody is like a lot of fans though. I I think he’s probably annoyed at the product he’s seeing tweak on the field. Like it’s got to get better. There’s got to be progress here at some point that’s visible and tangible and it results in wins. But I do not think he’ll be one and done. Well, that’s the key. Like, I don’t think anybody wants him to be one and done. I don’t want the Jets to fire their head coach, especially a guy who is a tremendous player for the franchise who wants to be here. Like, the idea of firing after one year makes me sick to my stomach. But like, to your point, there needs to be progress. Like, this can’t be an incompetent mess for 17 weeks. And you can’t be allowed the joystick of picking your franchise quarterback in all likelihood with the number one overall pick for a a group that didn’t prove anything. And so that’s where I kind of battle with myself internally. Of course, I don’t want them to be one and done, but there needs to be a level of competence shown over the next 14 weeks. Yeah, there needs to be progress shown for sure. And uh I think to your point, like if about the number one pick, like cuz people have started asking me like do you trust them to make the number one pick? I don’t think that’s the right question right now. I think the right question is like if you’re Woody Johnson, do you envision Aaron Glenn being the head coach of your team in three years, right? Because we saw this with the Tennessee now fires Brian Callahan after drafting Cam Ward. You saw it in Chicago. You saw it in Carolina. You saw it in Jacksonville where these guys got fired after taking the quarterback. Uh so to me, it’s it’s not necessarily they got the quarterback picks wrong, but like you have to you have to have confidence that this is the guy. Aaron Glenn is going to be your guy and he’s going to be here for a few years where if he’s if you are if you do have the number one pick or even top five and you’re taking a quarterback. So, I think that’s where Woody Johnson has to get to by the end of the year is confident that this guy is going to be here for a few years and you have belief in them. The the vibe I’ve gotten from Woody over the years is that when he hires people, he lets them do their thing for a few years and then once they stop winning, they get or they they don’t win, forget stop winning, they just never win, then he gets involved. Do you see him being involved? right now with what’s going on because it’s so bad or is he still letting these guys kind of do what they want in year one? I think he’s letting these guys do what they want. I’m I’m sure they’re getting feedback um you know about what’s going on. But in terms of like, hey, bench this guy or I want this guy or trade for this guy, I don’t think he’s doing that right now. I think he’s letting them do their thing. It’s kind of weird, Evan, too. It’s like he hasn’t, you know, there was a period where he wasn’t around. So like the Todd BS era, he was there for two years and then he was gone. So that was Christopher Johnson. He wasn’t here for all gays. Then they hire Salah and he comes back. So Salah was like never his guy. So like he didn’t really like Salah. And so that was always weird. So this is like the first time it’s been like his coach and he’s going to be here since Rex really. And so it’s kind of a different feel. And I also like you can’t discount when these guys get older. Like the sands of time are are going like I think I think his urgency is going up, right? like he’s getting he’s going to be an older guy and uh I’m sure his patience is wearing thin and like you know so yeah I do think at some point if there’s not results that that he’s he’s probably going to inject himself a little bit further into the operation. Brian, you know this cuz you’ve seen it many times over the years for a lot of different teams including our local. Sometimes you got to strip down your team right when you get a new coach and you got to get the right players in. I know Tom did this over a couple of years. Uh eventually it obviously led to them winning a Super Bowl and getting the players that he wanted, his style of guy. Uh we we I don’t I know we hit this briefly earlier about the trades and who’s who could go and how could they make their team better? Do you see this being an active trade period for this Jets team and if so, who’s likely out? Yeah, I struggle with that, Tiki. Right. Because I just think about I do think there wins are important this season for for what we talked about just enforcing his message and showing the way and if you start trading Bree Hall or you start trading you know I mean Quinnon Williams I’ve seen people speculate on like these are the heart and soul of the team and you’re waving the right white flag to your locker room. You’re just saying this year doesn’t matter. I think that’s a tough tough message to send. I don’t think this is a team that needs to strip it all the way down. I think they’ve got some good pieces here. I think they need to build up around those pieces. So, to me, I I would not be overly active at this trade deadline. And I also don’t think you’re getting I don’t know how much value you’re going to get. Quinnon would bring a good return. I don’t think Breeze Hall going into a free agency is going to get you a good return. So, I struggle with it. I do not know like the part I don’t know is where are they on Bree Hall? Are they thinking like we’re going to let this guy walk after the season? Are they thinking we’re going to franchise tag them? Are they thinking we’re going to sign them? Like that that’s a big factor, right? If they’re going to just let him walk, then yeah, like then you take what you can get for them. But man, that’s a tough message to send to the locker room. Um if you still believe you can win games this season. Well, if if it’s a veteran player, not that anyone is falling all over themselves to trade for Allen Lazard, but if it’s a guy like that, sure, why the hell not? But when you’re talking about the guys that are going to help you win next year, cuz eventually they got to win. like they they can’t just suck for the next three years and it’s no big deal, right? And Bree Hall is one of your best players right now. Yeah. So, if you start removing, you mentioned Quinnon Williams, even Germaine Johnson. I mean, what a difference he made to that pass rush coming back. You you start stripping these guys away, forget this year. As bad as that is, this year’s already gone to hell. But what about next year? I I just It’s a tough thing to pull off if you’re Muji and Glenn. It is. And if you are thinking, hey, we’re going to drop the quarterback in the first round next year, you need a team around that guy. Like we’ve seen this too many times, right? With the Jets alone, never mind the NFL where they, you know, was Sam Darnold the wrong pick or was he just drafted to the wrong place? That part, that last part, he was drafted to the wrong with the wrong coach except with no talent around. Imagine if he had this talent around him. I always I always say that it always it only matters what the situation is like that a rookie quarterback comes into. Yeah. So like if you’re stripping down going, “Oh, we’re going to get draft picks.” I like then and we’re going to take a quarterback. Like no, like that’s not going to work. you’re going to repeat you’re going to repeat the mistakes of the past. So to me I I’m holding on to that core those core players. Bruce Hall is a little tricky like I said free agent you got to figure out what you’re going to do there. But yeah someone wants to take Alan Lazard Ev that’s that’s that’s a little different story. So many years ago Joe asked you a question that elicited a response that became a gif. It was Joe screaming a and the question is something I want to ask you again. He asked you, “Will Adam Gase be the head coach 3 years from now?” And you were very honest and you were correct by saying no. And of course, it caused a Joe freakout. So, I want to ask you on October 14th, 2025, when we’re sitting here in 3 years in 2028, is Aaron Glenn still going to be the head coach of the New York Jets? And I’m going to answer it the same way. No, because these people don’t just don’t last year. There you go. They don’t last. And like the evidence I think Joe will probably ask me around this time with Adam Gase too and it was like one and six or one and seven or something like that. It’s just Yeah, it’s hard to hard to see a reason why he’s going to be here in three years. Great. Wonderful time to be alive, Brian. Well, keep it up. Uh keep covering the team as best you can. It’s the most thankless job in America. Thank you, Brian. We appreciate it. Thanks, guys. Thanks for having me. Thank you, man. Mariah Castello of the New York Post. [Music]

Evan & Tiki welcome longtime Jets insider Brian Costello of the New York Post to break down the disaster unfolding in Florham Park. Costello doesn’t hold back — saying the Jets’ locker room is “a bad vibe,” players are “pissed off,” and there’s no real leadership to stop the spiral.

The guys discuss Aaron Glenn’s loyalty to Justin Fields, the Breece Hall situation, what Woody Johnson might do next, and whether the Jets could actually go 0-17. Is this already the breaking point for Gang Green?

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