Report: Jets hiring Brian Duker as defensive coordinator

Field Level Media|published: 01/28/2026, 12:37pm EST

Detroit Lions defensive backs coach Brian Duker during training camp at the Detroit Lions Headquarters and Training Facility in Allen Park on Sunday, July 23, 2023.

The New York Jets are hiring Brian Duker as their new defensive coordinator, NFL Network reported Wednesday.

Duker, 36, was the Miami Dolphins' pass game coordinator and secondary coach for the past two seasons.

Duker worked with Jets head coach Aaron Glenn in Detroit from 2021-23. Glenn was the defensive coordinator for the Lions as Duker climbed the ladder from defensive assistant (2021) to safeties coach (2022) to defensive backs coach (2023).

Before that, he was on the coaching staffs of the Baltimore Ravens (2018-20) and San Francisco 49ers (2016) after making his NFL start as an intern with the Cleveland Browns (2015).

Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after a 3-11 start to the 2025 season. Chris Harris finished the season as the interim DC as New York ended Glenn's first season with a five-game losing streak.

The Jets completed a virtual interview with Duker on Tuesday. They also interviewed Harris as well as Mathieu Araujo, Ephraim Banda, DeMarcus Covington, Daronte Jones, Jim Leonhard, Wink Martindale and Jim O'Neil.

--Field Level Media