After months of publicly campaigning for the place, Rex Ryan lastly acquired his teaching interview on Tuesday.
Ryan, 62, formally interviewed with the Jets on Tuesday.
He was the staff’s head coach from 2009-14 — the final coach to information Gang Inexperienced to the postseason — and compiled a 46-50 regular-season document over six seasons.
Ryan additionally coached two seasons with the Payments (2015-16) earlier than being canned in Buffalo.
Throughout his first two seasons with the Inexperienced and White, Ryan led the staff to back-to-back AFC championship sport appearances. Nevertheless, throughout his final 4 seasons, the Jets registered a 26-38 document with no playoff appearances. Ryan was fired following a 4-12 document in 2014.
After leaving the Jets, Ryan went 15-16 with Buffalo earlier than he was fired with one sport remaining through the 2016 season. Since then, Ryan has been an NFL analyst for ESPN.
Ryan has been campaigning for the Jets job since proprietor Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. He met with Jets determination makers in Palm Seaside, Fla., the place Johnson lives.
The Jets have already been busy interviewing candidates for his or her vacant teaching and common supervisor positions. Final week, they interviewed former Panthers and Commanders coach Ron Rivera and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel. They’ve additionally submitted a number of requests to interview a number of coordinators, akin to Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Payments offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Texans OC Bobby Slowik, Vikings DC Brian Flores and Chiefs OC Matt Nagy.
On Monday, throughout an look on ESPN New York, the brash son of NFL teaching legend Buddy Ryan stated he expects to land the Jets teaching gig.
“Oh, 100%, absolutely I do,” Ryan stated. “The reason I think I’m going to get it is because I’m the best guy for the job and it ain’t close. The think you have to do is you have to connect with your football team, you have to connect with your fan base. The way they play, that’s the most important thing.
“It’s not just the X’s and O’s and all that. This Ben Johnson — I love him, I absolutely love him — but I’m a better candidate for this job than he would be.”
Johnson, the Lions OC, is likely one of the largest targets throughout this yr’s hiring cycle. Nevertheless, he isn’t anticipated to interview with the Jets, sources say.
The Jets are coming off a disappointing 5-12 season, which led to the firings of Saleh and common supervisor Joe Douglas. Ryan criticized the Jets for the “lack of organizational leadership” beneath interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.
Ryan additionally condemned quarterback Aaron Rodgers for lacking the staff’s obligatory minicamp final June to go on trip to Egypt. After Saleh known as it an unexcused absence, Rodgers was fined $100,000.
One of many largest offseason choices, exterior of the teaching and common supervisor hires, is whether or not to deliver Rodgers, 41, again in 2025. After an up-and-down season, his contract has no remaining assured cash. In 17 video games, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
If Rodgers is on the roster subsequent season, he’ll make a non-guaranteed $37.5 million, with a lifeless cap hit of $49 million if he retires or is launched. Ryan stated that if Rodgers returns to the Jets, he’ll finish his “country club.”
“Clearly, when you have a guy that doesn’t show up for mandatory minicamp — and by the way, he’s your quarterback coming off an injury — I think that’s an absolutely ridiculous message you send to the team,” Ryan stated.
“If he comes back, things would be different. If he’s back, it ain’t gonna be the country club, show up whenever the hell you want to show up. That ain’t gonna happen.”
