Wilks began his NFL profession as a defensive backs coach with the Bears in 2006 and final served as a defensive coordinator with the 49ers in 2023 the place his group allowed simply 17.5 factors per recreation, third-fewest within the league. He was additionally head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and interim head coach of the Panthers in 2022.
2. Aaron Glenn
New York’s new head coach did a whole lot of successful as defensive coordinator for the Lions over the previous 4 seasons. In 2021, Glenn took over a Detroit protection that allowed a league-worst 32.4 factors per recreation the earlier 12 months. Final season, the Lions allowed 20.1 factors per contest regardless of dropping All-Professional edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a leg damage after 5 video games.
Glenn’s unit gave up the fifth-fewest speeding yards (98.4) per recreation final season, one thing he hopes to proceed with the Jets.
“One factor we all know we’ll assault, we’ll be higher towards the run,” Glenn told reporters at the NFL owners meetings. “You look again at what I’ve achieved during the last couple of years in run protection, we have been fairly good in that side, so we’ll attempt to proceed to create that.”
Nearly as good as New York’s protection carried out, the group allowed the Sixteenth-most yards per recreation on the bottom (121.1) final season.
3. Garrett Wilson
Irrespective of the coach or quarterback, Wilson has proved to be one of many NFL’s greatest large receivers since becoming a member of the group as a first-round choose in 2022. For the third straight 12 months, Wilson led the Jets in receiving with 1,104 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2024, and now, he’ll catch passes from a well-recognized face.
Wilson and new beginning quarterback Justin Fields have been teammates at Ohio State the place the 2 mixed for 1,781 yards and 11 scores from 2019-2020. Due to the draft, Fields wasn’t round for Wilson’s breakout junior season (1,058 yards, 12 touchdowns) however ought to make up for misplaced time in 2025.
4. Schedule
Per NFL research, New York will play the seventh-easiest schedule with opponents holding a .460 win proportion from 2024. September may very well be tough with the Buffalo Payments, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and an Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers group on faucet, however issues get significantly better after the group’s Week 9 bye.
Except for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12 and the Payments in Week 18, the Jets gained’t play one other playoff group after the break. Extra importantly, 4 of New York’s final eight matchups come towards division opponents, giving it a chance to achieve floor within the AFC East.
