Darron Lee, a first-round pick of the Jets in 2016, has been charged with murdering his girlfriend.
Via Fox 17 in Nashville, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office took Lee into custody on Thursday, after deputies were dispatched to a residence at which first responders were performing CPR on a female. Per the HCSO, she died as a result of her injuries.
The HCSO Criminal Investigative Services Detectives made a preliminary finding that the victim’s death was resulted from a homicide. Lee was identified as a suspect.
Lee has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Via TMZ.com, Lee is being held without bond.
The former Ohio State linebacker was the 20th overall pick in the 2016 draft. He spent three years with the Jets, one with the Chiefs, and one with the Bills. Lee appeared in 58 career regular-season games, with 38 starts, and he was a member of the Super Bowl LIV championship team in Kansas City.
Aaron Glenn’s first season as the Jets’ head coach did not go well and one member of the team thinks that has a lot to do with the situation he inherited rather than the job he did once he was hired.
Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips joined the Jets in an August trade and said that what he observed drove home the belief that “culture matters” when trying to be a successful football team. The 3-14 Jets were decidedly unsuccessful and Phillips believes that there was little Glenn could do to immediately change the direction of the franchise.
“Doing it with people that you care about, it helps correlate to winning games,” Phillips said in an interview with Roundtable Sports. “If I had a connected football team, I’d take that over a talented football team that wasn’t connected. I think AG inherited a very cancerous, truculent group. Top to bottom.”
Phillips added that it isn’t “individual people’s fault” and that he found himself beginning to waver while being dropped into an organization that has grown so accustomed to losing. He added more context to his feelings while speaking to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
“It always felt like it was the ‘same old Jets.’ That’s the phrase, I think someone said that,” Phillips said. “I think the narrative of if you get into the mindset that it’s the same old Jets, that’s a cancerous thought, a very cancerous idea to be a part of. That’s a cancerous thought to have.”
Phillips did offer some rays of hope for 2026. He said Glenn’s consistency in the face of losing was “super cool to see” and he thinks the offseason changes to the coaching staff has brought in people who can help the head coach change the direction of a franchise that’s been moving the long way for far too long.
The Jets hired offensive coordinator Frank Reich on Wednesday morning and they added a coach on the other side of the ball on Wednesday afternoon.
The team announced the hiring of defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.
Dunbar spent the last eight seasons filling the same role on Mike Tomlin’s coaching staff in Pittsburgh. This will be his second stint with the Jets as he was also their defensive line coach under Rex Ryan from 2012-2014.
Dunbar worked for Ryan with the Bills in 2015 and had his first NFL job with the Bears in 2004. He has also worked for the Vikings and was employed by Nick Saban at both LSU and Alabama.
The Jets have settled on their new offensive coordinator.
Frank Reich emerged as a candidate to join Aaron Glenn’s staff to call offensive plays before the Jets even fired offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand and Reich emerged as the choice after the Jets went through the official search process in the wake of Engstrand’s dismissal. The Jets officially announced the hire on Wednesday morning.
Reich was 4-8 as the interim head coach for Stanford in 2025 and he was 41-43-1 as the head coach of the Colts and Panthers in the NFL. He’s also been an offensive coordinator with the Eagles and Chargers in 20 years as a coach. He also played in the NFL for more than a decade and spent one season as a quarterback with the Jets.
“Frank has a rare combination of experience, creativity, and calm under pressure,” Glenn said in a statement. “He’s lived this game from every angle — as a quarterback in this league and as a coach who’s led offenses at the highest level. He is unique in his ability to see the game for what it is right now and adapt when appropriate. Frank understands offense and how to utilize the strengths of players. I am looking forward to how he will help this team have success.”
With the coordinator position settled, the Jets can move onto figuring out who will be leading their offense on the field. Justin Fields remains under contract, but he was benched in 2025 and the team will likely be looking for other options as they move into the offseason.
The Jets completed an in-person interview with Frank Reich for their offensive coordinator position, the team announced Tuesday.
Reich, 64, is currently a senior adviser with Stanford University. He served as the interim head coach for the Cardinal during the 2025 season, leading the team to its most wins since 2020.
Reich has over a decade of NFL coaching experience, most recently as the head coach of the Panthers (2023).
He also had a five-year stint as the head coach of the Colts (2018-22). The Colts went 40-33-1 in the regular season and made postseason trips in 2018 and 2020.
As the offensive coordinator for the Eagles from 2016-17, Reich helped lead the team to a Super Bowl LII victory. Reich also spent time as the offensive coordinator for the Chargers (2014-15).
On Monday, the Jets announced they had completed in-person interviews with Darrell Bevell and Greg Roman. Last week, the Jets conducted virtual interviews with Reich, Bevell, Roman, Ronald Curry and Lunda Wells for the OC post.
