Aaron Glenn Calling Plays? Jets DC Report Features New Twist

The New York Jets' defensive coordinator position still hasn't been fill yet.

Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn during warm ups before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New York Jets are still looking to fill their open defensive coordinator role, and it sounds like things are moving — and could be a bit surprising.

New York announced on Jan. 16 that it interviewed eight candidates for the open defensive coordinator position that was vacated by Steve Wilks. Over the last week or so, former University of Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has looked like the likely option for the job. Connor Hughes of SNY reported on Jan. 24 that Martindale was coming to town for an in-person interview.

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Things have seemingly shifted, though. Hughes pulled back the curtain on the defensive coordinator search on Monday night and noted that nothing has "fallen apart" yet. But, on top of this, other candidates who have interviewed for the job reportedly came away "believing" that head coach Aaron Glenn wants to call plays on defense and that interim defensive coordinator Chris Harris is a candidate to remove the interim title.

The Jets haven't made a choice yet

Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA;New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stands on the sideline against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

"The Jets [and] Wink Martindale are working through things, per sources. Time will tell if this leads to, or breaks, a potential partnership," Hughes wrote. "The two sides have been conversing in varying degrees for quite a while. Martindale, going into his visit on Saturday, was considered far & away the frontrunner. This hasn't fallen apart (yet), but I don't think he's as much of a guarantee as it seemed a few days ago. Again: We'll see. A lower profile coordinator, with Glenn calling the plays, is possible. ...

"Coordinating candidates who spoke with the Jets recently, per sources, came away from those conversations believing Aaron Glenn wanted to call the plays on defense. There is a growing belief among league circles that Chris Harris (DC) and Glenn (calling the plays) is a direction the Jets are warming up to."

Martindale has quickly gone from the public favorite for the position to it being completely up in the air with Glenn calling plays himself. With the way the market is moving, we should find out more very soon.

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