Jets fire DC Steve Wilks in one of their worst defensive seasons

Mired in one of the worst defensive seasons in franchise history, the New York Jets fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Monday, ending his tenure after only 14 games.

Coach Aaron Glenn, in his first staff shake-up, named defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Chris Harris the interim coordinator. Harris will call the plays for the final three games, with the defensive-minded Glenn assisting him during the week in game-planning.

“Listen, I just thought that from last week going to this week, the improvement wasn’t there, and I thought it was time to make a change,” Glenn said on a Zoom call with reporters.

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“I’m going to make the decision that’s best for this organization at all times, and it’s my job to make sure I continue to evaluate everything that’s going on,” he continued. “That’s my job as the head coach, and I just thought this was the time for me to make that decision.”

The move comes one day after a 48-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who scored on eight of their first nine possessions. The Jets (3-11) have allowed 82 points in the past two games, the highest back-to-back total since 2021.

The Jets, a top-four defense (yards allowed) in each season from 2022 through 2024, have underachieved this season. They’re 30th in scoring, 20th in yards allowed and 28th in EPA (expected points added).

The most damning statistic: The defense has only two takeaways and no interceptions. On Sunday, the Jets tied the 2024 San Francisco 49ers for the longest streak in NFL history without an interception: 14 games.

Just last week, Glenn said he believed in Wilks, and he indicated after Sunday’s game that he had no plans to strip Wilks of his playcalling duties. As it turned out, he went one step further, dismissing him. Glenn said he made the decision late Sunday night and informed Wilks on Monday morning.

“I want to see consistent improvement. I want to see structure that’s consistent,” Glenn said. “I want to see play that’s consistent and I want to see the character — the culture of this football team come together.”

The Jets are allowing 28.3 points per game, one of the worst marks in franchise history. They’re on pace to finish with 482 points allowed, which would be their second-largest total.

It has been a bitterly disappointing season for the Jets, who missed the playoffs for the 15th straight year — the longest active drought in North American sports. This is their sixth straight double-digit loss season. Nevertheless, Glenn’s job is thought to be secure.

Under Wilks, the Jets were a blitz-heavy team, but their pass rush disappointed. Glenn said he was “pissed” by Sunday’s performance, in which they had no sacks and only two quarterback hits. The Jets were plagued throughout the season by shoddy tackling and breakdowns in the secondary, resulting in too many uncovered receivers.

It was telling that, after Sunday’s game, some of the defensive leaders declined to speak with reporters. One of them was linebacker Quincy Williams, who said, “I have nothing positive to say.”

“They were pretty pissed off about the way the defense played,” Glenn said.

Wilks inherited nine returning starters from last season’s defense, but three of them were traded earlier in the season: cornerback Sauce Gardner, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and nickelback Michael Carter II.

Before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, the defense showed signs of modest improvement. Since then, it has regressed. The Jets shifted into rebuilding mode, as Wilks was charged with integrating rookies and newcomers on the fly — a challenging situation.

Speaking last week, Wilks acknowledged the defense was “inconsistent at times, for sure,” adding, “I take full responsibility for that.”

Wilks, 56, was one of Glenn’s first hires. It seemed like an odd pairing, considering Wilks was out of the NFL in 2024 and they hadn’t worked together, but Glenn liked the idea of having a coordinator with previous head coaching experience. Wilks was a head coach with the Arizona Cardinals and an interim with the Carolina Panthers. This was his sixth straight one-and-done coaching job.

In the spring, Wilks said the defensive system would be a “collaboration” of his scheme and Glenn’s scheme. After Sunday’s game, Glenn noted that he was letting Wilks run his own system — a rather telling comment. Glenn suggested that he’d give Wilks the final three games before evaluating him.

That timetable got pushed up. Clearly, Glenn was irked by Sunday’s performance.

“It’s not just a loss in general, it’s the way that we lost the game, giving up the amount of points that we did,” Glenn said. “There were mistakes in this game that was somewhat uncharacteristic of us.”

Harris, 43, a former NFL safety, never has called plays on the NFL level. This is his fifth coaching stop.

“I trust the man at the helm,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said Monday, referring to Glenn. “It’s a difficult thing because coach Wilks is such a great coach and a great person. Ultimately, it comes down on all of us. It’s just part of this league. … Obviously, it hasn’t been up to the standard that we seek or we’re aiming for, so it’s tough.”

The Jets are on the road next Sunday to face the New Orleans Saints. Glenn declined to name his quarterback, although he praised Brady Cook and likely will stay with the rookie.