Report: New York Jets to hire Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator

The New York Jets are hiring former NFL head coach Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator, according to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports. He will join Aaron Glenn who was hired as the Jets head coach.

Wilks, 55, last coached in the NFL in 2023 when he was the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. The team went to the Super Bowl that season but fired Wilks after the championship game due to the team’s inconsistencies on defense. For the 2024 season, Wilks was coaching on the college level as he worked as a volunteer advisor for the Charlotte 49ers.

In 2022, the Carolina Panthers hired Wilks as their defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach. He was promoted to interim head coach later in the season and led the Panthers to a 6-6 record and second-place finish in the NFC South. Despite interviewing for the role, Wilks lost the Panthers head coaching position to Frank Reich.

“The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I,” Wilks wrote in a social media post in January 2023, per NFL.com. “I’m disappointed but not defeated. Many people aren’t built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.

More on Steve Wilks’ NFL career

“It was an honor for me to coach those men in the Carolina Panthers locker room as the interim head coach. Players, coaches and staff, thank you for your hard work and dedication. I took pride in representing Charlotte, a great city that I love so much. Thank you to my family, friends and the community for your overwhelming support.”

That was Steve Wilks’ second stint with the Panthers. His first was from 2012-2017, and he worked as a defensive back coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. In 2018, the Arizona Cardinals hired Wilks as their head coach, but he lasted just one season after the team went 3-13.

Wilks will give Glenn an experienced coordinator who can provide wisdom. Glenn is a first-time head coach who was previously the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator.

When Glenn was introduced to the media, he said he would not call plays on defense, meaning that Wilks would run the show. Wilks will have plenty of talent to work with as the Jets’ defense features Quinnen Williams, Quincy Williams, Sauce Gardner and Will McDonald IV.