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Rich Cimini
Update: The Jets fired Steve Wilks on Monday morning.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When New York Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was hired last offseason, he told reporters the defense would be a “collaboration of both of our schemes” — referring to himself and coach Aaron Glenn.
Let’s fast-forward to Sunday at EverBank Stadium, where the Jets played their worst defensive games in years. They watched helplessly as Trevor Lawrence delivered one of the best quarterback performances in history — five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 48-20 victory.
Naturally, the ugly defensive performance — and the overall regression by the unit the past two weeks — prompted a postgame question about Wilks. Glenn was asked if he’s planning to take over playcalling; his answer spoke volumes.
“I know that question is going to be asked,” said Glenn, showing better anticipation than his defensive backs. “Listen, I brought Wilks in for a reason, and, listen, I want him to run his system. We have three games left. Three games left for our guys to go out there and play.”
His system.
With those two words, Glenn separated himself from his defensive coordinator, who painted a different picture of the arrangement several months ago. Glenn probably wasn’t trying to throw Wilks under the bus; this was his way of letting everyone know that he’s a head coach who believes in empowering his coordinators.
He was saying he lets Wilks run his own show — a show potentially in danger of being shut down.
Glenn made sure to add, “it’s not about the X’s and O’s across the board, it’s about the character of the men on this team,” but what does that mean for Wilks at season’s end?
The Jets (3-11) were dreadful against the Jaguars on defense, giving up scores on eight of the first nine series. For the second straight week, they were overmatched at the outset, falling into a 14-0 hole.
The mood in the postgame locker room was different than previous blowouts. There was no bravado, only dejection. Some of their team leaders declined to comment, notably Jermaine Johnson and Quincy Williams.
“I have nothing positive to say,” said Williams, who’s typically open to speaking after games.
It was a rough day for Williams. He was the closest defender on four of Lawrence’s touchdown passes, according to NextGen Stats.
Safety Tony Adams was taken aback when a reporter mentioned that Lawrence had thrown five touchdowns.
“How many?” Adams said, sounding surprised it was that many.
Indeed, Lawrence became only the fifth player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) with five touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in a game.
The Jets offered no resistance — no sacks and only two quarterback hits. Wilks blitzed on 10 of Lawrence’s 32 pass attempts, but that didn’t do anything. Lawrence was 7-for-10 for 150 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz, per ESPN Research.
Wilks is a blitz-heavy coach, but his schemes don’t seem to catch anyone by surprise.
“It was really hard to explain that,” Glenn said of the nonexistent pass rush. “And that’s part of the reason I’m somewhat pissed. We have to get better at that.”
Clearly, the personnel needs to be upgraded in the offseason. With extra draft capital and more than $70 million in cap space, the Jets have resources to overhaul the defense. There could be as many as six new starters in 2026.
“Monday through Saturday, that’s where our coaches come in,” Jamien Sherwood said. “On Sunday, it’s all about the players. Your talents got to show up. All the work you put in during the week, you have to show up. And the last two weeks we just haven’t been doing it.”
The Jets have given up a combined 82 points in the past two games, their worst back-to-back since 2021. They still haven’t recorded an interception — a 14-game drought that ties the league’s all-time futility record. They’re on pace to give up 482 points, which would be the second most in franchise history.
Glenn is a defense-minded coach who landed his job because of his work as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, so this also is a poor reflection on him even if he’s not calling the plays. That’s Wilks’ job, as Glenn made clear after the game.
Clearly, it’s not working.
“There’s a lot of blame that goes around when you [give] up that many points as a team,” Glenn said. “It’s not good. It’s not good. [Give] up 48 points? Not good.”
