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New York Jets hire Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator (Report)

Steve Wilks, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
Steve Wilks, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Getty Images

Just two days after the New York Jets introduced Aaron Glenn as head coach and Darren Mougey as general manager, another critical position has reportedly been filled.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that veteran coach Steve Wilks has agreed to terms to become the Jets’ defensive coordinator.

Wilks, 55, has been long rumored to become the defensive coordinator under the first-time head coach. He took the year off from the NFL—instead serving as a volunteer advisor for the NCAA Charlotte 49ers—but is still extremely familiar with today’s pro football landscape.

Wilks served in the same role for Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers in 2023, just a year after holding down the Carolina Panthers’ interim head coach post in 2022. Before the promotion—courtesy of Matt Rhule’s firing—previously served as Carolina’s defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach.

The Jets’ newest defensive coordinator is a Charlotte, NC, native who didve into the coaching pool rather quickly following his playing career.

After his collegiate career at Appalachian State ended in 1993, Wilks played a season of Arena Football League ball with the Charlotte Rage. Just two years later, his coaching career commenced as Savannah State’s defensive coordinator, a position he held for two seasons (1997-1998).

Wilks’s first NFL gig came in 2006 when he joined the Chicago Bears as their defensive backs coach. It wasn’t until 2017 that he finally became an NFL defensive coordinator, doing so for the Carolina Panthers.

The Arizona Cardinals hired him as head coach in 2018. Despite a 3-13 record that year and since bouncing around as a defensive coach, Steve Wilks is a highly respected football coach within league circles.

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