The Jets have completed their offensive staff with the hiring of six new assistants who will work with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. HC Aaron Glenn also retained three offensive assistants including WR coach Shawn Jefferson.
Scott Turner – Senior Assistant/Pass Game Coordinator
The experienced Scott Turner is entering his 14th season coaching in the NFL. Turner took over play-calling last season with the Raiders for the Silver & Black's final eight games.
"This league is tough," Turner said after his elevation. "It's very competitive. You got to bring it every day. Different people are going to play you different ways. Certain matchups are going to favor you schematically more than others. But really, it's just dealing with the people. This is a relationship business, and you got to understand what your guys on your team do the best, and then try to find a way to get that out of them and then get them to perform at the highest level every single week."
Prior to working the past two seasons as the Raiders' pass came coordinator, Turner spent three seasons (2020-22) as the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator. As the QBs coach in Carolina from 2018-19, Turner also handled OC duties for the Panthers in 2019.
Entering the professional coaching ranks with Carolina, Turner served as an offensive quality coach with the Panthers from 2011-12. That '11 season saw Panthers QB Cam Newton (4,757 total yards and 35 TDs) earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Turner guided the Cleveland Browns receivers in 2013 as Josh Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards. In Minnesota from 2014-16, Turner was the Vikings' QB coach and worked with Teddy Bridgewater his first two seasons. In his first season as a full-time starter, Bridgewater, the No. 32 overall pick in 2014, completed 65.3% of his passes for 3,231 yards and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl.
Turner, an Oakton, VA, native, is the son of Norv Tuner and they worked together in Las Vegas, Carolina, Minnesota and Cleveland. He played QB at Oakton HS and was a reserve passer at UNLV. Turner earned his degree in psychology in 2005 before starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oregon State (2005). He also worked at Pittsburgh as an offensive assistant (2008-09) and wide receivers coach (2010) before making his way to Carolina. In 2017, Turner returned to the college ranks as an offensive analyst at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh.
Jeff Blasko – Tight Ends
After four seasons working with HC Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys' offense, Blasko has agreed to join the Jets' new head coach Aaron Glenn as the Green & White's tight ends coach.
Blasko, 42, began his NFL coaching career with McCarthy as Green Bay's coaching administrator in 2016. He became the Packers' assistant offensive line coach (2017-18) then spent the 2019 season with the Cleveland Browns. He reconnected with McCarthy with the Cowboys and was the team's assistant offensive line coach (2020-22) before being promoted to offensive run game coordinator/running backs coach (2023-24).
Blasko is a native of Pittsburgh, where he attended Steel Valley HS. He was the offensive assistant coach at his alma mater (2002-05), then held the same position at Bethel Park HS (2006-07). Blasko graduated from Robert Morris University with a bachelor's degree in information sciences in 2005 and earned a Master's degree in sports administration from Akron in 2009.
Blasko made a jump to the collegiate game as a graduate assistant for the Akron Zips (2008-10), spent a season with Florida (2011) as the Gators' offensive quality control coach, then moved on to Kansas as the Jayhawks' tight ends coach (2012-14).
Steve Heiden – Offensive Line
Heiden, 48, spent the past two seasons in Detroit with Aaron Glenn, mentoring the Lions' tight ends under HC Dan Campbell and OC Ben Johnson. Heiden coached Sam LaPorta, a second-round pick from Iowa who set an NFL record for TEs with 146 receptions his first two seasons, in the Motor City.
"To its core, football hasn't changed since Dan and I were playing the position," Heiden said in December. "It's still about physicality first ,and then you go into the game with that mindset, that approach. But most of the time, the rest will take care of itself. I still think you can win a bunch of games in this league just being more physical than your opponent. Now obviously as you go, you tie other things on top of that – your technique, your fundamentals, your discipline, your approach to the game and all that, but I think it starts with physicality, and I don't think that will change."
Before his stint with the Lions, Heiden held several offensive roles with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-22. An assistant special teams/assistant TE coach from 2013-17, Heiden was the assistant offensive line coach in 2018 before being promoted to TEs coach from 2019-22.
A third-round pick of the Chargers in 1999, the South Dakota State product played 11 NFL seasons with San Diego (1999-2001) and Cleveland (2002-09) while appearing in 148 games (83 starts) and totaling 201 receptions for 1,689 yards and 14 TDs. Heiden, a Rushford, MN, native, earned First-Team All-North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors as a senior in 1998 and became one of only 29 Jackrabbits drafted.
When once asked what he'd look for in a prospect, Heiden said: "A football guy, smart, disciplined, loves the game and is tough. I think those are kind of my core principles."
Shawn Jefferson – Wide Receivers
Jefferson is returning as the Jets' wide receivers coach, extending his second stint with the team after he re-signed with the Green & White last season. He served as the Jets' assistant head coach/WRs coach in 2019-20.
Jefferson's wideouts in 2024, led by Garrett Wilson and midseason addition Davante Adams, put some strong numbers on the board. The room's 226 receptions and 21 touchdowns were the most by the Jets since the 2015 WRs group had 259 catches and 29 TDs. This season's unofficial yards-after-catch total of 1,060 yards was the most by Jets WRs in at least 25 seasons, and the position's 61.7% rate of catches/targets was the position's best since the 64.8% rate posted by the Jets' 2008 wideouts.
Wilson, with 101 receptions, joins Brandon Marshall in 2015 as the only WRs in franchise history with 100-plus catches in a season. With a career-best 1,104 receiving yards, Wilson became one of five WRs in NFL history to start his pro career with three seasons of 80-plus catches and 1,000-plus receiving yards.
Jefferson is beginning his 21st season as an NFL coach following his 13-year playing career. He began coaching with seven seasons for Detroit (2006-12), helping Calvin Johnson set the NFL single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards in '12.
Jefferson followed his Lions tenure with three-year hitches with Tennessee (2013-15) and Miami (2016-18). His first Jets stretch came in 2019-20, then he left for three seasons to work as an NFC receivers coach, with Arizona (2021-22) and Carolina ('23).
As a player, Jefferson spent five seasons with San Diego, four with New England, three with Atlanta and his last season in 2003 with Detroit. For his career he totaled 470 receptions, 7,023 yards (14.9 yards/catch) and 29 TDs, and his 22.7 yards/catch for the Patriots in 1998 is the third-highest average by any receiver in the NFL in the last 30 seasons.
Charles London – Quarterbacks
London, 50, has held coaching positions in the league for nearly 20 years. He has been a coach on offense (QBs, running backs, and a passing game coordinator) since 2007 with five different franchises. Spending last season with the Seattle Seahawks, London helped QB Geno Smith put together another strong season when he threw for 4,320 yards and 21 TD passes and hit on 70.4% of his passes.
A native of Dunwoody, GA, London's first post in the NFL was as the Bears quality control coach (2007-09). He was a scout for the Eagles (2010) and then served as an offensive assistant with the Titans (2011). After a detour as the Penn State running backs coach (2012-13) under HC Bill O'Brien, he was back in the NFL with the Texans (2014-17) overseeing Houston's RBs, again working with O'Brien. London moved back to the Windy City as Chicago's RB coach (2018-20).
He served as Atlanta's QB coach (2021-22) and then returned to the Titans as the team's QB coach/passing game coordinator (2023) before signing on with the Seahawks in February 2024 under first-year coach Mike Macdonald.
London was a running back in college at Duke. After his playing career with the Blue Devils, he joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2004. Two years later, he was promoted to running backs coach for one season.
Nic McKissic-Luke – Running Backs
McKissic-Luke held the same position for the University of Minnesota the past two seasons. The Gophers had two running backs rush for 500+ yards in McKissic-Luke's first season. In 2024, RB Darius Taylor rushed for 986 yards and totaled 1,336 yards from scrimmage.
Prior to his time with the Gophers, McKissic-Luke coached at Northern Illinois (running backs/run game coordinator/special teams coordinator), Youngstown State (running backs/special teams), South Dakota State (running backs/co-special teams coordinator) and Benedict College (running backs/slot receivers/strength and conditioning). He started his coaching career at Benedict College in 2008.
Brian Natkin – Assistant Offensive Line
Natkin, 47, was the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Colorado State University Pueblo last season. Since he became a coach in 2004, he's had one stint with an NFL team when he was the Cardinals' assistant offensive line coach from 2019-22. The rest of his coaching gigs have been on the college level starting as a graduate assistant with Texas-El Paso in '04. He's coached the offensive line at Northern Colorado (2006), Midwestern State (2011), UTEP (2012), Hutchinson Community College (2018) and Sam Houston (2023).
Natkin played in the NFL for three seasons. He signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP in 2001 and played in three games. He later spent the 2003 preseason with the Rams. Natkin was a unanimous All-America tight end in 2000 when he had 63 receptions, 775 yards and 4 touchdowns.
As a former tight end, he coached the position at UTEP from 2013-17. He also held the role of special teams coordinator (2014-17) and interim OC ('17).
Walter Kusmirek – Offensive Assistant
Kusmirek has been a part of the Jets' staff since 2024 when he was hired as the team's offensive assistant. He joined the Jets after nearly a decade at the collegiate level, most recently serving as the offensive line coach at the University of Rhode Island.
Prior to his time at Rhode Island, Kusmirek spent four seasons in Connecticut at the University of New Haven. He has also served as the running backs coach at SUNY Morrisville (2014-16) and the co-special teams and co-recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach at Wagner College (2016-20).
Junior Taylor – Offensive Assistant
Clinton Marcus Taylor, who goes by Junior, returns to the Jets for a third season as the team's offensive assistant.
Before joining the Jets organization in 2023, Taylor was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for four seasons (2019-22) at Northern Arizona.
In college at UCLA, the native of Mesa, AZ, was a wide receiver for four years (2002-06). Over that time he made 76 receptions for 1,041 yards (13.7 per catch) and 6 TDs. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in arts history and a minor in education.
After his time in California, Taylor, 42, returned to his hometown as the wide receivers/quarterback coach (2010-14 and offensive coordinator (2016-17) at his alma mater, Mesa HS. From there, Taylor moved across the country to work with wide receivers at Wagner College (2018) before landing in the NFL as Tennessee's Walsh Fellowship position with the Titans (2020).
