Aaron Glenn is looking for a new defensive coordinator for his second season with the Jets. Here is the latest news on this research…
January 23, 7:32 p.m.
Jets leave a number of coaches, including QB coach Charles LondonDL coach Eric WashingtonLB coach Aaron Curry and passing game coordinator Scott Turner.
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SNY’s Connor Hughes said on the latest episode of Jets Final Drive that the players had “a lot” of issues with Washington and Curry, but Turner’s relief comes as a surprise.
With DC’s mid-season release Steve Wilks, Jets coach Aaron Glenn has now relieved five coaches of their duties.
January 16, 4:45 p.m.
The Jets have been busy in the second week of their offseason, conducting an initial round of interviews for eight candidates for the vacant position in DC.
The team announced that it had conducted virtual interviews with A nod to Martindale, Jim Leonhard, Chris Harris, Jim O’Neil, DeMarcus Covington, Daronte Jones, Matthew AraujoAnd Ephraim Banda.
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Martindale is the oldest of the group at 65 and has the most experience as a defensive coordinator at the NFL level. Recently at Michigan’s DC, he last worked in the NFL with the Giantswhere he had a difficult relationship with the then head coach Brian Daboll. Martindale also held the position in DC for four seasons in Baltimore and one in Denver.
Leonhard started 40 games over three seasons as a safety for the Jets. After completing a 10-year playing career, he became a coach and spent several years at his alma mater in Wisconsin. He served as DC with the Badgers from 2017-2022, finishing as interim head coach for the final seven games. He made the jump to the NFL in 2024 with another of his former teams, the Broncos, where he served as defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator the past two seasons, adding assistant head coach to his title this year.
Harris was hired by Glenn’s staff last offseason to be defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, but ended up as interim DC after Steve Wilks‘ shot. Before coming to New York, the eight-year NFL veteran served as Washington’s defensive backs coach (2020-22) and Tennessee’s DBs coach and passing game coordinator (2023-24).
O’Neil has experience with Glenn in Detroit, where he has worked as a defensive assistant since 2024. He got his first NFL job with the Jets in 2009 as defensive quality control coach before becoming an assistant DB coach from 2010 to 2012. He was Cleveland’s defensive coordinator for two seasons (2014-15), as well as NFL stops in Buffalo (2013), San Francisco (2016), Oakland/Las Vegas (2019-20).
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Covington also has experience as a DC in the NFL, serving in that role with New England during the 2024 season. He first joined the Patriots under Bill Belichickas an assistant coach, outside linebackers coach and defensive line coach after joining the team in 2016. He served as defensive line coach/running game coordinator with Green Bay in 2025.
Jones was the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Vikings. He first arrived in Minnesota in 2020, leaving for one season to become LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021.
Araujo spent the last four seasons, his first in the professional ranks as a coach, with Miami coaching defensive backs.
Banda has been the Browns’ safeties coach since 2023 after spending several years coaching in college, including a stint as DC at Utah State (2021-22).
