Sources -- Jets agree to hire Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator - ESPN

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn has made the first significant hire for his new coaching staff, agreeing to terms with Steve Wilks to become the defensive coordinator, league sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Wednesday.

Wilks, 55, was out of the NFL for the 2024 season after serving for one campaign as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator. He was fired in February 2024, a few days after the Niners' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

This is a key addition for Glenn, who said Monday at his introductory news conference he wasn't planning to call the defensive plays.

«I want to be the best head coach you can find,» said Glenn, the Detroit Lions' defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2024. «In order for me to do that, I think I need to manage the game.»

Glenn was attracted to Wilks, in part, because of his previous head-coaching experience. Wilks coached the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 but was fired after going 3-13. He also was the Carolina Panthers' interim coach in 2022. He can be a sounding board for Glenn, a first-time head coach.

Wilks and Glenn have no previous experience working together.

«I'm looking for the best coach,» Glenn said Monday. «That's all I'm looking for. He's going to be compatible. And it doesn't have to be from somebody I had; it can be from across the league. When I go through the interview process, everything is on the table and the best coaches will be here.»

Wilks inherits a unit that has finished in the top five in yards allowed for three straight years, but there will be significant turnover in personnel. Ten of the Jets' top 17 snap leaders are eligible for free agency, including cornerback D.J. Reed and middle linebacker Jamien Sherwood.

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