Lions captain, veteran linebacker expected to reunite with Aaron Glenn on Jets defense

There is a lot of work that needs to be done for the New York Jets this offseason. While figuring out the quarterback position is imperative, so too is improving the defense.

After the lackluster 2025 season from Quincy Williams, the Jets are in the market for linebacker help. While they could go younger, there is a veteran who's strongly linked to the Jets this offseason.

According to Tony Pauline of Essentiallysports.com, the Jets are expected to see head coach Aaron Glenn reunite with Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone this offseason in free agency.

Jets' Aaron Glenn expected to reunite with Alex Anzalone

"Talk of Lions players following Aaron Glenn to New York isn't new," Pauline writes, "but word in Fricso says the odds are high that Anzalone, the nine-year veteran who will become a free agent in March, will be playing for the Jets in 2026."

Anzalone is a veteran linebacker who's been in the NFL for nine years, all of which have been in the NFC, with four of his nine seasons coming in New Orleans, and then another five with the Lions in Detroit.

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During his long NFL career, the Lions defensive captain has four interceptions, 36 passes defended, three forced fumbles, 13 sacks, and 613 tackles.

He's 31 years old and won't be a long-term solution for the Jets at linebacker. But, after how brutal the 2025 season was, the Jets need all of the help they can get defensively.

With Williams expected to be gone this offseason, Anzalone would have a clear path to the Jets roster. After a solid year in 2025 for the Lions, reuniting with Glenn, the Lions' DC before he joined the Jets, would make a lot of sense.

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