Hidden Figures: Jett Modkins, son of former Lions and current Vikings assistant, knocking on door of coordinating opportunity
Note: This is the fifth installment in an ongoing series that explores the background, responsibilities, and aspirations of the Detroit Lions’ lower-level assistant coaches. Today, we’re looking at assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins.
Allen Park — A life dedicated to football rarely comes with stability. That’s especially true for assistant coaches, who bounce around to new opportunities, often out of necessity, every two or three years.
The hidden strain can be on the families of those coaches, particularly those with children. Imagine crisscrossing the country twice over — moving from New Mexico to Georgia to Missouri to Arizona to Buffalo, New York — during your formative years.
That was the path Jett Modkins’ childhood followed while his father, Curtis, served first as a cornerbacks coach, then a running backs assistant at the University of New Mexico and Georgia Tech, before jumping to the NFL, for stints with the Chiefs, Cardinals and Bills.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Curtis coached Detroit’s running backs under Jim Caldwell, from 2013-15.
Despite the challenges that come with shallow roots, it didn’t stop Jett from inheriting his father’s passion. In fact, it fostered it. Curtis kept his family close, allowing for his personal life to bleed into his professional one.
Bring Your Kid to Work Day wasn’t an isolated event on the calendar; it was a lifestyle. Jett recalled regularly being woken up and whisked to Georgia Tech for full days during the summer, bringing a sleeping bag to get a couple extra hours of sleep in Curtis’ office, if needed.
When the Modkins moved to Kansas City in 2008, Jett traveled to Wisconsin for the team’s training camp in River Falls, sharing a dorm room with his father.
And once Jett was old enough to shuttle himself around, he would finish his day at Orchard Park High School and drive straight to the Buffalo Bills' facility, where he’d spend almost every afternoon.
“I’ve been in these facilities like every day of my life at some periods,” Jett said.
So, to the surprise of no one, Jett has followed in his dad's footsteps, where at just 29 years old, he’s already in his fifth season as an NFL coach, including his fourth as the Detroit Lions assistant special teams coach under coordinator Dave Fipp.