What Jets’ Brian Duker DC Hiring Really Means

The New York Jets have reportedly found their next defensive coordinator.

It has been a long process with a few twists and turns, but NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday afternoon that the Jets are hiring former Miami Dolphins pass game coordinator/secondary coach Brian Duker to replace Steve Wilks.

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"The Jets are hiring Brian Duker as their defensive coordinator, per sources," Pelissero wrote on X. "Duker, 36, most recently was the Dolphins’ pass game coordinator/secondary. He’s close with Aaron Glenn from their days with the Lions and now reunites with him in New York."

The Jets have their guy

Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; A large Miami Dolphins helmet at the Palacio de Cibellas. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's been a wild few days. On Jan. 24, SNY's Connor Hughes reported that Wink Martindale was coming to town for an in-person interview. The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported that Martindale was viewed as the favorite for the job. But things shifted. Hughes reported that candidates who spoke to the Jets came away believing Aaron Glenn "wanted to call the plays on defense." He quickly followed up after the reported news of Duker's hiring and noted that this is a scenario with a "lesser-known" defensive coordinator coming in to pave the way for Glenn to call plays.

"Mentioned the other day the Jets most likely course of action, with things falling apart with Wink Martindale, was a lesser-known Dc with Aaron Glenn calling plays," Hughes reported. "This is that."

Hughes followed up with more background.

"Aaron Glenn began telling candidates recently that he wanted to call plays defensively," Hughes wrote. "This was different from original plans and discussions, having spoken to sources close to those who interviewed for the Jets DC job. That’s among the reasons things fell through with Wink Martindale, and why Jim Leonard was never an option. Glenn is now expected to call plays for New York with Brian Duker as DC, something he stressed he wasn’t interested in at various points last year."

Duker is just 36 years old and spent the last two seasons with the Dolphins. Before that, he was with the Detroit Lions where he served different roles, including defensive backs coach, safeties coach and defensive assistant. He's someone familiar with Glenn and has had some success in the NFL so far. If in fact this move does open the door to Glenn calling plays, it could be considered a good move.

Glenn was viewed as a very good defensive coordinator in Detroit. It's part of the reason why he got the job here in New York as head coach. Things didn't work out with Wilks and it clearly looks like things are going in a different direction.

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