Aaron Glenn has made his first significant move as the new head coach of the New York Jets. And if popular reaction is any indication, it may be a great one.
On Wednesday, NFL Network's Steve Pelissero reported that the former cornerback had hired Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator:
And the response has been largely positive:
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More of it can be seen below:
"We’re so back," another cheered.
"Jets defense gonna be nasty with him and Glenn and all the talent," another wished.
However, there were some dissenting opinions on the Wilks hire, with one fan bringing up his previous job with the 49ers.
"Last seen sabotaging the 4th quarter and OT of the Super Bowl to cost the 49ers a championship," one fan said.
Wilks brings with him an extensive resume that involves multiple Super Bowl appearances. He first made the Big Game in 2006 as the Chicago Bears' secondary coach, but they lost to Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts at XLI.
After a three-year stint with the then-San Diego Chargers, he joined the Carolina Panthers and helped them clinch three straight NFC South titles, including their historic 15-1 2015 season that ended in defeat at Super Bowl 50 against Manning's Denver Broncos.
After two more years in Charlotte, he became a head coach for the first time in 2018 with the Arizona Cardinals. He lasted just one year before being fired, then joined the Cleveland Browns as DC.
After a two-year absence form the pros, Wilks returned to the Panthers in 2022, even becoming intering head coach after Steve Wilks' firing. He was last seen coordinating the San Francisco 49ers' defense, but was fired after their Super Bowl LVIII loss.
Aaron Glenn also hires ex-Detroit Lions staffmate as Jets OL coach
Also announced on the same day was Aaron Glenn’s hiring of Steve Heiden, former Lions tight ends coach, as offensive line coach.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise, since he had previously played tight end himself and was seen as a major factor in the rise of Sam LaPorta as one of the league’s premier tight ends. However, he did serve as an offensive line assistant with the Cardinals in 2018 - interestingly enough, under Steve Wilks.
The offensive move comes a day after Josina Anderson reported that the Jets had entered “substantive discussions” with another ex-Lion, pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, to become the new offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, Mike Klis, reporter for KUSA-TV, reports that Denver Broncos assistant Chris Banjo has entered final negotiations to become the Jets’ new special teams coordinator. After retiring from play at the end of the 2022 season, the former cornerback joined Sean Payton’s staff in 2023 and played a key role in the development of Marvin Mims as one of the best returners in the league, with consecutive All-Pros and Pro Bowls.
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