New York Jets fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks
The New York Jets fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Monday, one day after getting thumped 48-20 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Aaron Glenn announced.
Glenn said during his morning news conference that defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Chris Harris will take over Wilks' coaching duties.
"I will be helping [Harris] as he progresses through the week as our coordinator, and everybody else will stay the same," Glenn said during a video call with reporters. "This decision that I made late last night, and I talked to [Wilks] this morning, and I felt like it was the best decision for the organization at this time. I've said this all along, that I'm evaluating players, I'm evaluating coaches, I'm evaluating myself, and I just felt like this was the best decision for right now."
Glenn hired Wilks, 56, whose coaching career started in 1995, in February in one of his first moves as head coach of the Jets. Wilks was out of the NFL last season while serving as a volunteer adviser for Charlotte's football team. He was San Francisco's defensive coordinator in 2023, but was fired after the 49ers' loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Jets fell to 3-11 on the season following the loss in Jacksonville. Through Week 15, they are one of five teams allowing at least 28 points per game, along the with the Giants, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Jets also rank among the league's worst against the run. New York set an NFL record with no interceptions through its first 14 games, which also tied a league mark for any 14-game stretch in a season.
Two weeks ago, the Jets gave up 167 yards rushing in a 27-24 victory over Atlanta. They followed that up by allowing 239 yards on the ground last week in a 34-10 loss to Miami. On Sunday, Trevor Lawrence threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score in the blowout loss at Jacksonville, during which the Jaguars scored on eight of their first nine possessions.
After the game, Glenn brushed off questions about whether he might consider pulling play-calling duties from Wilks, saying he brought the veteran coach to New York "for a reason, and I want him to run his system." A few hours later, Glenn decided to move forward without Wilks for the final three games of the season.
It has been a disastrous season for both New York teams.
The Giants fell to 2-12 after losing to the Washington Commanders 29-21 on Sunday. The team fired Brian Daboll as head coach and Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator earlier in the season.