Jets might actually have a chance at pipe dream DC candidate after all

The New York Jets seem to be nearing the final stages of their defensive coordinator search, with all signs pointing to the team hiring former NFL assistant Wink Martindale to be Aaron Glenn's new right-hand man.

But nothing is final in the NFL until the ink dries on a contract. While Martindale remains the presumed frontrunner, three days have now passed since the team brought him in for an in-person visit last Friday.

The Jets do not have a defensive coordinator at the time of writing, which means there's still time to go in a different direction. That direction could include a former Jets fan-favorite whose schedule is suddenly wide open.

Perhaps the most high-profile defensive coordinator candidate the Jets interviewed this month was Jim Leonhard, the Broncos’ assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator. And don’t look now, but the Leonhard pipe dream might still be alive after all.

Jets could still hire Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator

At the time of Leonhard’s interview, the assumption was that he was little more than a pipe dream for the Jets. Leonhard is widely viewed as a rising star in coaching circles and was expected to draw interest from other, more appealing opportunities.

But one by one, those other opportunities have since dried up, possibly because teams were unwilling to wait until Leonhard was available for in-person interviews with the Broncos still alive in the postseason.

The Green Bay Packers interviewed Leonhard and were viewed as a potential landing spot, but they ultimately hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon over the weekend. The New York Giants were also rumored to have strong interest in Leonhard before reportedly hiring Dennard Wilson on Sunday.

Suddenly, the two likeliest landing spots — and the only other teams to officially interview him to this point — are no longer options. And with the Broncos now officially eliminated from the playoffs, Leonhard’s schedule has suddenly freed up.

There are still quite a few teams looking for a new defensive coordinator, including teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens, so it's not as if the Jets are the only job opening on the market. But none of those teams has met with Leonhard yet.

Of course, even if the Jets were the only defensive coordinator opening remaining, that wouldn't guarantee Leonhard would take the job. There's a very real chance that he'd opt to remain an assistant in Denver over choosing to be the Jets' next defensive coordinator.

Numerous coaches have turned down interviews with the Jets this offseason, with some reportedly warned to steer clear of Glenn’s perceived lame-duck staff. While it remains unclear where Leonhard stands on that perception, it’s at least encouraging that he chose to take an interview with the organization.

The Jim Leonhard fantasy may still feel like a pipe dream, but it isn’t quite dead yet, and it has a little more life than it did a week ago.