Ex-Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks is now back in the NFL as a defensive coordinator for the New York Jets, per multiple reports.

Aaron Glenn's first staff in New York will include a former NFL head coach. The Jets are finalizing a deal to make former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks their new defensive coordinator, as confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.

Thamel has coached the Cardinals’ linebackers for the last two seasons and spent the previous two with the Minnesota Vikings as defensive quality control coach in 2021 and assistant linebackers coach in 2022.

Most recently, he was the linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals’ defense ranked highly in several areas in 2024. Before that, Siefkes worked for the Minneso

Virginia Tech has hired Sam Siefkes as defensive coordinator after he spent the last two seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ linebackers coach.

Glenn was hired as the next head coach of the Jets earlier this month after a four-year run as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator. The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh in the middle of last season. Glenn said earlier this week that he will not call defensive plays, so that will presumably fall to Wilks.

The Arizona Cardinals will have at least two vacancies to fill on their defensive staff. A day after they lost linebackers coach Sam Siefkes, who became the defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, they will need to find a new defensive line coach.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has a change on his staff for the first time since he took the job. He is losing his linebackers coach. After it was reported that Virginia Tech was targeting Sam Siefkes to be their defensive coordinator,