Words held for less than a day, and actions followed immediately. In New York, the gap between promise and consequence closed fast. After publicly backing his defensive coordinator and preaching patience, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn reversed course following a humiliating loss. The timing made it unavoidable. What was framed as an evaluation turned into dismissal, and the Jets’ unraveling season reached another turning point.

Less than 24 hours after insisting Steve Wilks would finish the year, Glenn fired him. Jets insider Dennis Waszak Jr. broke the news on X.

“Aaron Glenn has fired DC Steve Wilks #Jets,” Waszak said. The move came after a 48-20 blowout loss to the Jaguars that dropped New York to 3-11 with three games remaining.

The reversal stood in direct contrast to Glenn’s comments a day earlier. He emphasized continuity and publicly defended Wilks.

“I brought Wilks in for a reason,” Glenn said. “I want him to run his system. We have three games left… it’s not about the X’s and O’s. It’s about the character of the men on this team.”

He added that evaluations would come later, “starting with myself, coaches, and the players,” and soon enough, he had a decision. The Jets have allowed 82 points over the past two games. Against Jacksonville, they surrendered scores on eight of the first nine possessions. Trevor Lawrence carved them up, becoming the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with five passing touchdowns and a rushing score in one game. 

Wilks’ firing also comes with an immediate shift. Passing-game coordinator Chris Harris will serve as interim defensive coordinator and handle play-calling duties for the final stretch.

The decision adds another chapter to Wilks’ turbulent recent resume. He was out of the league in 2024 after being fired by San Francisco shortly after Super Bowl LVIII. Before that, he served as Detroit’s defensive coordinator and previously held head coaching roles in Arizona and Carolina.

For Glenn, the message is unmistakable. Accountability arrived faster than his words suggested. The Jets’ season may already be lost, but the standard, at least publicly, just changed overnight. The fallout didn’t end with a firing. As the loss to Jacksonville unraveled, another moment from the same game highlighted just how quickly things slipped out of control.

Jets DT Khalen Saunders blasts NFL officiating after ejection

On a day that quickly unraveled for the New York Jets in Jacksonville, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders’ afternoon ended far earlier than he or the team expected. A post-play altercation following an extra point escalated in the worst possible way for Saunders. In the heat of a scrum with Jacksonville linemen, Saunders made contact with an official, drawing an immediate ejection that sparked frustration and fiery post-game reactions from the veteran interior defender.

The incident occurred in the third quarter of the Jets’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a Travis Etienne touchdown and the ensuing extra-point attempt, players from both teams converged in a shoving match. As officials moved in to separate bodies, Saunders made contact with one of them. The result was immediate. A flag was thrown. Saunders was ejected.

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ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that the ejection was for contact with an official. The call ended Saunders’ afternoon after just one tackle. Hours later, Saunders took his frustration public. He pushed back against the ruling on social media, pointing to his history in the league.

“7 years, no ejections, no unsportsmanlike conducts,” Saunders wrote on X. “Surrounded by opponents, fending folks off me, and here i am ‘striking an official’ lmao gtfo. Do better. @NFL @NFLOfficiating.”

The message was blunt. Saunders emphasized that discipline has never defined his career. He noted only one prior unnecessary roughness penalty, which came in a preseason game on a tackle at the whistle. From his perspective, the ejection crossed a line.

Saunders had just joined the Jets on November 17 after being released by the Jaguars. Sunday marked his fourth game with New York and his first against his former team. Entering the matchup, he had six total tackles across five games this season.

In the span of one afternoon, the Jets managed to underline everything that has gone wrong in 2025. A defensive coordinator was fired, a player was ejected in chaos, and whatever structure remained gave way under pressure. When accountability finally arrived, it did not bring clarity, only confirmation that the season may have already slipped away.