The New York Jets opened 2026 with a dramatic weeks-long overhaul of their coaching staff. Rampant firings and dubious hiring processes led to constant chatter around the team.

Weeks after that drama seemed to finally die down, the Jets’ coaching carousel is back in the headlines, courtesy of a candidate who was spurned by the team.

Veteran coach Wink Martindale, who was once considered the front-runner for the Jets’ defensive coordinator vacancy, alluded in an interview with the New York Daily News that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn had his hand forced by team owner Woody Johnson — despite no evidence to the contrary.

“I think it was close,” Martindale said when asked how close he was to becoming the Jets’ defensive coordinator. “I’ve always respected, and I like Aaron Glenn. He’s a good dude, and we think a lot alike on a lot of similar things defensively. But just to be honest with you, I think it was one of those decisions that was out of his hands, and we’ll just leave it at that.”

There was a point when it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Martindale would be hired. He took a second interview with the team, and reports indicated that Glenn had reached out to him before the 2025 season ended.

Suddenly, the Jets hired Brian Duker instead. Duker had only taken one virtual interview with the team, which took place less than 24 hours before he was officially hired.

It was a strange turn of events that prompted speculation regarding whether Glenn was forced to pivot by ownership. Glenn shot down those rumors at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

“My decision was made that I was going to be the play-caller, and when I brought Wink in, he was still a go,” Glenn told the media in Indianapolis. “As I thought about the whole situation, Brian Duker has been with me for three years, has been through the fire with me.”

Duker, 36, has never been a play-caller at any level. He most recently served as the Miami Dolphins’ secondary coach and pass-game coordinator (2024-25). Before that, he worked alongside Glenn in Detroit for three seasons.

The hiring of an inexperienced coach in Duker suggested that Glenn planned to take over play-calling, which Glenn confirmed at the combine. It led some fans to speculate whether Woody Johnson forced Glenn to take over play-calling duties, either to save money at the defensive coordinator position or to salvage value from Glenn by making him call plays.

We still have yet to learn anything substantiated about Johnson’s role in the Jets’ 2026 coaching overhaul. All we know is that Glenn defended Johnson at the combine.

Plus, Martindale has routinely found himself at the center of incredibly noisy situations. Whether it was his relationship with his then-head coach, Brian Daboll, when the two worked for the New York Giants, or persistent rumors that he had a dysfunctional relationship with other coaches at Michigan University, Martinale seems unable to avoid being at the center of a storm.

Martindale’s most recent comments only add fuel to the fire. They further strengthen the theories that initially arose when the Jets’ defensive coordinator search took a peculiar turn.

All that matters to Jets fans is how the defense performs on the field.