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The New York Jets landed one of the most coveted candidates in this head coaching cycle, as former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is in New York to turn things around.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Glenn was whether he would continue calling the defense like he did with the Lions. On Monday, Glenn surprisingly admitted that he won't be calling the defense so he can better manage the game and handle other head coaching duties, making the defensive coordinator hire very important.
On Wednesday, Glenn hit a home run with that hire. Longtime NFL coaching veteran Steve Wilks is headed to New York to be the new defensive coordinator for the Jets, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Wilks has been coaching defense for a long time at both the college and NFL levels. Most recently, he was the secondary coach for the Carolina Panthers under Matt Rhule in 2022 before being promoted to interim head coach when Rhule was fired. In 2023, Wilks was the defensive coordinator for a San Francisco 49ers team that reached the Super Bowl.
The Jets have a very talented unit on that side of the ball despite some of their struggles last season. Quinnen Williams is a true blue chip player at defensive tackle and Sauce Gardner, even coming off of a frustrating year, is still one of the top young corners in football. As a result, Wilks will have plenty to work with on defense next season.
The Jets continued to add to their staff on Wednesday. Former Denver Broncos special teams assistant Chris Banjo is getting closer to a deal with the Jets to become their new special teams coordinator and a deal should be done tonight, according to Mike Klis of 9 News. Banjo played in the NFL from 2013-22, primarily on special teams, and gained valuable experience on Sean Payton's staff last season.
The next order of business for the Jets is likely going to be figuring out what to do with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and deciding who the next offensive coordinator will be. It's looking like Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand is the favorite to be the new OC, so Glenn and company are wasting no time putting a staff together in New York.