The New York Jets have made some weird moves in recent days, making decisions that shouldn’t have taken as long as they have. Connor Hughes of SNY provided new insight about why the Jets ultimately didn’t hire veteran defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, despite mutual interest, per reports.
According to Hughes, the decision came down from head coach Aaron Glenn, as he seemingly wants full control of this defense.
“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. After Robert Saleh’s first year, there was a push to have him take over as play caller from higher ups. Saleh fended that off to stick with Jeff Ulbrich. The head coach calling plays clearly something the team has been open to for awhile.”
Martindale would’ve been a nice hire, but it’s not surprising that a veteran DC doesn’t want to have someone else calling plays, as he’s looking to get his career back on the right foot. A role without play-calling duties would’ve been surprising at this stage of his career.
Like Martindale, Jim Leonhard has typically called his plays and has made the right decisions when doing so.
Instead, Glenn’s decision signals a desire to put his mark directly on the Jets’ defense moving forward, perhaps something that isn’t too surprising after a terrible showing last year.
On one hand, it allows Glenn to fully put his vision on the unit. On the other hand, it places additional pressure on a young head coach who already has a lot on his plate.
We’ll see how things go in the next few months, but it’s tough to imagine the defense being worse than it was last season. If it’s even close to as bad, Glenn won’t have a job in 2027.