Tag: Steve Wilks

Jets hiring yet another former Panthers coach

The Jets’ new defensive coaching staff has added another familiar face.

The New York Jets and first-year head coach Aaron Glenn now have two former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinators on their growing staff.

According to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the Jets are hiring Eric Washington as their new defensive line coach. He will come in under former Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks, who was added as the team’s defensive coordinator earlier this week.

Washington began his coaching career with the Panthers in 2011, when he was brought on as the defensive line coach by then-first-year head coach Ron Rivera. He’d spend seven seasons in that position before being promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

After his stint in Carolina was up, Washington landed with the Buffalo Bills as their defensive line coach in 2020. He also served as Buffalo’s senior defensive assistant (2022) and assistant head coach (2023).

This past season saw Washington return to the Chicago Bears, where he got his start as an NFL coach in 2008, in their defensive coordinator role.

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Former Panthers safety joining Steve Wilks as Jets’ passing game coordinator/DB coach

Former Panthers safety Chris Harris is the latest familiar face to jet off to New York.

Carolina Panthers fans should have another old friend to root for over in “The Big Apple.”

According to by Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the New York Jets are expected to hire former Panthers safety Chris Harris as their defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. He’s set to join first-year head coach Aaron Glenn and the team’s new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who previously coached in Carolina for a total of seven seasons.

Harris will head over from the Tennessee Titans, where he served as their defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the last two seasons. He’s also picked up stints as a defensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears (2013 to 2014), an assistant defensive backs coach for the Los Angeles Chargers (2016 to 2019) and a defensive backs coach for the Washington Commanders (2020 to 2022).

Before transitioning into a coach, Harris played three of his eight NFL seasons with the Panthers. His best year for Carolina came in 2007, when he recorded a league-leading eight forced fumbles along with 97 combined tackles.

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Steelers lose defensive coach to the New York Jets

Aaron Curry is leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers for the New York Jets, raising questions about potential coaching changes this offseason.

It has begun! Art Rooney II told everyone that while coaching staff changes were coming, the moves wouldn’t be “wholesale.”

Aaron Curry, who has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team’s inside linebackers coach since February 2023, has been hired by the New York Jets as their new linebackers coach.

While no one can deny the inconsistency surrounding the run-stopping duties of the linebacker room in 2024, Curry was hardly the problem behind the defensive struggles as a whole.

Curry is expected to play a major role on the New York Jets’ coaching staff under new head coach Aaron Glenn and new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

Will more changes follow Curry’s departure from the Black and Gold? If so, will the Pittsburgh Steelers make the right decision and move on from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin? No one can deny that this 2025 offseason is shaping up to be an exciting one as January comes to a close.

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Former Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks to be hired as new Jets DC

Former Panthers coach and Charlotte native Steve Wilks is back in the NFL.

Former Carolina Panthers coach Steve Wilks is landing in “The Big Apple.”

As first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero this evening, Wilks is set to be hired as the new defensive coordinator of the New York Jets. A contract, per ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, is expected to be signed on Thursday.

Wilks, a Charlotte, N.C. native spent a total of seven years on Carolina’s sidelines—where he worked as a defensive backs coach (2012 to 2016), assistant head coach (2015 to 2016), defensive coordinator (2017) and defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach/interim head coach (2022). The Panthers, in 12 games under Wilks in 2022, went 6-6 and finished one game behind the NFC South-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After parting ways with the Panthers following their 2023 hire of Frank Reich, Wilks was hired as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. But despite helping the Niners reach Super Bowl LVIII, as his unit allowed the third-fewest points per game (17.5), Wilks was dismissed after just one year.

He did not coach in the NFL this past season.

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How 49ers can avoid another potential DC search in 2026

Even though Robert Saleh is returning, it may not be for multiple years.

The San Francisco 49ers are re-hiring Robert Saleh to be their defensive coordinator.

While Saleh looks like a home-run hire given his success with the 49ers as their DC and a rapid turnaround for the New York Jets defense in Saleh’s second year as their head coach, he may also only stick around for one season.

Saleh received three interviews for head coach openings in the 2025 cycle. He figures to be a hot candidate again in the 2026 offseason assuming he helps the 49ers defense return to something close to championship form.

That wouldn’t have been a reason to pass him over. After all, the 49ers didn’t have many other viable options who check the boxes they’re aiming to check with their next DC hire. However, it does highlight the need to have a DC-in-waiting on the coaching staff.

When Saleh left the 49ers for the Jets after the 2020 season, the 49ers knew linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans was going to step into that role and he did so with rousing success. He wound up only working as the 49ers’ DC for two years before landing the head coaching job with the Houston Texans.

When Ryans exited, the 49ers had no such internal plan. They hired veteran defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, but he was let go after one season. San Francisco then tried giving defensive pass game specialist/nickels coach Nick Sorensen a shot. He was also fired after one year.

Now with Saleh returning, the 49ers need to look at their internal staff and identify another coach who can step in after Saleh. There’s a very real chance he finds another head coaching spot in 2026, and San Francisco would be smart to ensure they have a replacement lined up instead of filling time in another offseason looking for a DC.

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Jets, Aaron Glenn expected to target handful of former Panthers coaches for new staff

A few familiar faces might be jetting over to New York with Aaron Glenn.

A handful of former Carolina Panthers coaches could be jetting over to “The “Big Apple” with Aaron Glenn.

Glenn, who has served as the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator since 2021, is reportedly set to be hired as the new head coach of the New York Jets. And he, according to numerous reporters, is expected to target a few familiar names for his new staff—including Steve Wilks, Thomas Brown and Josh McCown.

Wilks was linked to Glenn and the Jets on Tuesday by SNY’s Connor Hughes. The Charlotte, N.C. native spent a total of seven years on Carolina’s sidelines—where he worked as a defensive backs coach (2012 to 2016), assistant head coach (2015 to 2016), defensive coordinator (2017) and defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach/interim head coach (2022).

Brown spent one season with the Panthers as their offensive coordinator in 2023. He moved on to the Chicago Bears for 2024—assuming the roles of passing game coordinator, interim offensive coordinator and interim head coach.

McCown, like Brown, didn’t last in Carolina beyond the 2023 campaign. He served as the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterbacks coach this past season.

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Former Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks reportedly set to interview with another team

Former Panthers interim HC and DC Steve Wilks reportedly has an interview set with an NFC South squad.

Former Carolina Panthers interim head coach and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has seemingly garnered some more interest this offseason.

According to ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, Wilks will interview with the Atlanta Falcons for their defensive coordinator opening next week. The 55-year-old also had a meeting set with the Indianapolis Colts for the same position.

Wilks spent seven total seasons on the sidelines in Carolina—where he served as a defensive backs coach (2012 to 2016), assistant head coach (2015 to 2016), defensive coordinator (2017) and defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach (2022). The Charlotte, N.C. native also filled in as the team’s interim head coach following Matt Rhule’s firing in 2022 and led the Panthers to a 6-6 record.

His most recent NFL job came as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.

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Seahawks great KJ Wright says he’s joining 49ers coaching staff

Wright will also get to work with one of the best linebacker groups in football.

Former Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright says he’s joining the 49ers coaching staff as an assistant linebackers coach.

Wright broke the news himself in his most recent podcast, which came out this morning.

Wright will be working under Nick Sorensen, who has replaced Steve Wilks as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator.

Sorensen previously worked with the Seahawks in a variety of roles from 2013-2020, including as their secondary coach for four years. This past season he served as the Niners’ defensive pass game specialist and nickels coach.

Wright will also get to work with one of the best linebacker groups in football. The combination of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw is as tough as they come at the inside linebacker spots.

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PODCAST: Steve Wilks, coaching staff, draft-day trade possibilities

Jess Root and Seth Cox have more to talk about on the latest edition of the podcast

Seth Cox and I are back for a second show of the week to discuss things about the Arizona Cardinals and things impacting the Cardinals.

In this edition of the show, we talk about how the 49ers fired Steve Wilks and how the Commanders hired David Blough. We discuss whether the Cardinals should make any changes on their coaching staff and what sort of impact the possibility of four or five teams looking to trade up in the draft will impact the Cardinals.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Time and topics:

(1:00) Steve Wilks’ firing by the 49ers and David Blough’s hiring by the Commanders

(29:38) Do the Cardinals need to make changes on their coaching staff?

(38:32) Teams wanting to trade up in the draft for a quarterback

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Panthers fans react to 49ers’ firing of Steve Wilks

Panthers fans have seen this story with Steve Wilks before.

There has been and seemingly always will be a mutual respect between Steve Wilks and the Carolina Panthers fan base. So when the Charlotte, N.C. native was cut loose from the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, similarly to his departure from this franchise a year ago, the team’s faithful were left in dismay.

Here’s how Panthers fans (and a few former players) reacted to yesterday’s news: