Jets rumors: Why Wink Martindale may not land in New York after all

The New York Jets are looking to pick up the pieces from a dreadful 2025 season that saw them finish as one of the worst teams in football. New York finished the year 3-14 and will pick No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft while it rebuilds its roster and coaching staff.

From a coaching perspective, the Jets are keeping head coach Aaron Glenn but searching for a new defensive coordinator after longtime assistant Steve Wilks was fired during the season. Former Michigan defensive coordinator and longtime NFL DC Wink Martindale was considered to be one of the favorites for the position, but that may not be the case now.

One of the potential deal-breakers between Martindale and the Jets is Glenn’s desire to call the plays on defense, according to Connor Hughes of SNY.

Glenn is an esteemed defensive play-caller who led some good defenses during his time as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, but the Jets’ defense floundered and was arguably the worst defense in the NFL in 2025. New York finished the year 31st in scoring defense and famously became the first team in the Super Bowl era to never intercept a pass.

Martindale has almost always called plays on defense at all of his stops, whether that be with Michigan, the New York Giants or the Baltimore Ravens. He has become famous for his hyper-aggressive, blitz-heavy defensive scheme, which could be a nice changeup for this Jets defense that is desperately in need of some new life.

It remains to be seen whether that will get hashed out between Glenn and Martindale, but there is no question that the esteemed defensive coordinator will have plenty of suitors on the market if he doesn’t end up in the Big Apple.

Whoever ends up calling the plays for this Jets defense this season will have their work cut out for them after New York traded its two best players on that side of the ball, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, during the 2025 season. There are multiple personnel holes on this unit, so the Jets need to bring in someone who can overcome that with their scheme.

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