Rex Ryan has returned to the New York Jets — for an interview, no less than.
The previous Jets coach and present ESPN analyst, who led the franchise to its final playoff look to cap the 2010 season, met with the group Tuesday about its head teaching emptiness.
Ryan went 50-52, together with 4-2 within the playoffs, in six years with the Jets earlier than being fired after the 2014 season. He has lobbied overtly for the job throughout latest TV and radio appearances and mentioned Monday on ESPN New York radio that he’s the proper candidate and anticipated to be employed.
“Oh, 100%, absolutely, I do,” he mentioned. “The reason I think I’m going to get it is because I’m the best guy for it. It ain’t close.”
Ryan is the third identified candidate to interview with proprietor Woody Johnson and different group brass for the teaching job. New York additionally met with former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel and former Carolina and Washington coach Ron Rivera final week. Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who went 3-9 after changing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8, mentioned he additionally will interview for the full-time job someday this week.
“The thing you have to do is, you have to connect with your football team, you have to connect with your fan base,” Ryan mentioned throughout his radio look. “The way they play, that’s the most important thing. It’s not just the X’s and O’s and all that.”
The group is also looking for a common supervisor after firing Joe Douglas in November. The Jets have already got interviewed former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Tennessee GM Jon Robinson, Senior Bowl govt Jim Nagy and former NFL govt and present ESPN analyst Louis Riddick.
Ryan additionally received video games, utilizing a mixture of ferocity on protection with a ground-and-pound offense to determine an aura of toughness. However the Jets couldn’t keep that early success and missed the postseason throughout Ryan’s final 4 seasons.
After he was fired by the Jets, Ryan landed in Buffalo and coached the AFC East rival Payments. He didn’t make it by way of his second season there, fired with one sport left in 2016 and ending with a 15-16 document. Ryan has been out of teaching since, serving as a TV analyst.
Maybe the primary main choice the brand new coach and GM might want to make for the Jets will likely be the way forward for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’s unsure about returning for a twenty first NFL season. Rodgers mentioned he’ll take a while through the offseason to resolve whether or not to proceed enjoying — and is aware of if he does, it may not be for the Jets, who might launch him.
Ryan mentioned throughout his look on ESPN New York radio that if he will get the Jets job and Rodgers returns, he would change some issues across the facility. He referenced Rodgers lacking necessary minicamp due to a visit to Egypt that he scheduled throughout his restoration from the torn Achilles tendon that restricted his 2023 season to 4 snaps.
“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 mentioned. “If he comes again, issues could be completely 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. I’ll just leave it at that.”
