Jets win over Falcons may help them land ideal Steve Wilks replacement in 2026

The New York Jets may not have a ton to celebrate in the 2025 season, but Aaron Glenn has now won three of his last five games after polishing off a 27-24 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the rain that was buoyed by a breakout game from Adonai Mitchell and a game-winning kick from Nick Folk.

While the Jets did luck out by facing a Falcons team that was without starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and star wide receiver Drake London, they did manage to gut out a win that was such a bad look for Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris that it seems unlikely he is employed for much longer.

Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks shouldn't be guaranteed much of anything, as he will enter December without having recorded an interception and having forced only one defensive turnover. If he and Morris are both gone after this year, would it behoove the Jets to make a run at Morris as a replacement?

Jets could hire Raheem Morris as DC if Falcons fire head coach after Week 13 loss

Morris, who is 33-55 as a head coach in the NFL and 12-21 over the last two seasons with the Falcons, is just a few years removed from helping coordinate the Rams to a Super Bowl on the defensive side of the ball and helping them bounce back after a down 2022 season. That might be where his true talents lie.

While Morris won't be enough to single-handedly get this defense back to an elite level due to the lack of a great pass rush, he is yet another coach with a history of working with defensive backs. This team needs someone who can force turnovers, and Morris may be capable of that.

Glenn hired his first three coordinators, and he appears to have hit on two of them. Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand can whip up some fun concepts when he doesn't have to work around Justin Fields' limitations, and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo has the Jets performing at an elite level in this area. Wilks has been the big miss.

Some guys are great to have on a coaching staff due to how they connect with players and can assist a head coach, but are poor leaders when tasked with overseeing everything. Morris may fit into that category, and the Jets can give him another shot at doing what he does best next season.