Chris Banjo enters his second season with the New York Jets as the special teams coordinator. Following a 10-year NFL playing career that ended after the 2022 season, Banjo is now in his fourth season as a coach after spending two seasons as a special teams assistant with Denver (2023–24).

Just three seasons removed from his playing career, and in his first season as a coordinator (2025), Banjo led one of the top special teams units in football, posting the highest special teams Expected Points Added (EPA) in the league (62.18)—the highest EPA by a Jets unit this century and the third-highest by any team in the last 10 seasons.

"Just ultimate buy in with this group," Banjo said last season. "Ultimate buy in and belief. And I said this before, but the combination of buy in and belief, I think it's a hell of a combination."

That combination allowed the Jets to improve in nearly every special teams metric, finishing the season with top 10 rankings in 10 major special teams categories, including leading the league in kickoff return average (29.9), field goal percentage (96.6%), extra point percentage (100.0%), and special teams touchdowns (four).

2025 Curtis Martin Team MVP wide receiver/return specialist Isaiah Williams and running back/return specialist Kene Nwangwu each had career seasons in the return game for Banjo last season. Williams became just the third player in franchise history to record multiple punt return touchdowns in a season, while Nwangwu ranked second in the NFL with a 33.6-yard kickoff return average, including a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown—his league-leading fifth since entering the NFL in 2021.

Those three kick return touchdowns, combined with a blocked field goal return score from EDGE Will McDonald IV, gave the Jets four special teams touchdowns, the most by the franchise since 2007. Since 2016, only six other special teams coordinators (nine occurrences) have led units with at least three special teams touchdowns, with Banjo the only one to accomplish the feat in his first season at the helm.

Under Banjo in 2025, first-year punter Austin McNamara posted a 43.2 net average, the highest ever by a Jets punter in a season, while kicker Nick Folk, an 18-year veteran, missed just one field goal, becoming the first kicker in the Super Bowl era to lead the league in field goal percentage for three consecutive seasons. Overall, the team's 98.04% combined rate on field goal and extra point attempts was the highest in franchise history.

Prior to joining the Jets, Banjo served as a special teams assistant with Denver (2023-24), where he worked with long-time Jets Special Teams Coordinator Mike Westhoff. In 2024, wide receiver/return specialist Marvin Mims Jr. led the league in yards per punt return (15.7), and earned first-team All Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Additionally, kicker Wil Lutz recorded the fourth-best field goal percentage (91.2%) in the NFL among all kickers with at least 30 attempts. As a unit, the Broncos finished with top-10 ranks in yards per punt return, field goal percentage, and opponent yards per punt return.

In his first season with Denver (2023), Banjo's special teams unit ranked at the top in multiple categories, with top 10 finishes in punt return average, punt return average against, kickoff return average, and kickoff return average against.

A safety and special teams standout for 10 seasons in the NFL (2013-22) with Green Bay, New Orleans, and Arizona, he appeared in 131 regular season games after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. He finished his career with 85 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. His 58 career special teams tackles ranked in the top 20 among all players over that 10-season span.

With New Orleans (2017-18), Banjo overlapped with Head Coach Aaron Glenn, then his position coach, as part of a team that won consecutive division titles and advanced to the NFC Championship game (2018).

A graduate of SMU, Banjo played in 51 games (47 starts) for the Mustangs (2008-11), and recorded 321 tackles, four interceptions, 17 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. He earned second-team All-Conference USA honors as a junior (2010) and honorable mention All-Conference USA following his senior season (2011).

A native of Houston, TX, Banjo and his wife, Jasmine, have two sons, Christopher Jr., and Cairo, and one daughter, Celine.

FLIGHT PATH

New York Jets | 2025-Present

Special Teams Coordinator 2025-Present

Denver Broncos | 2023-24

Assistant Special Teams 2023-24

PLAYING CAREER

Arizona Cardinals (S) 2019-22

New Orleans Saints (S) 2016-18

Green Bay Packers (S) 2013-16

Jacksonville Jaguars (S) 2013

SMU (S)