Jets to hire 1st female coach in franchise history

Collette Smith is set to become the first woman to coach the New York Jets in franchise history.

Smith is expected to work with the Jets' defensive backs during training camp, reports Leonard Greene of the New York Daily News.

"I'm over the top. I'm humbled and I'm proud," she told Greene. "This could have happened with any NFL team. But it just so happened that it was with my beloved New York Jets. This is bigger because of that. God forbid it would have been with the Patriots. But I still would have done it."

Smith previously worked with the Jets as a preseason intern, and now serves as a coach for the New York Sharks of the Independent Women's Football League.

Jen Welter became the first woman to coach in the NFL in 2015, joining the Arizona Cardinals as an assistant coaching intern. She primarily worked with the team's linebackers.

Kathryn Smith was the first woman to coach in the NFL full time, as the Buffalo Bills hired her as their quality control special teams coach in January 2016. She wasn't retained after the Bills fired Rex Ryan.