The New York Jets are looking for a new head coach and one of their possible options is a familiar one from their past. Current ESPN analyst and former Jets head coach Rex Ryan will reportedly interview with the team on Tuesday for the vacant position, per NFL Network.
The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas during the season and now have both roles to fill ahead of the 2025 season.
Ryan led the Jets from 2009 to 2014, with a 46-50 regular season record and a 4-2 postseason record during that time. He then joined the Buffalo Bills as the head coach from 2014 to 2015, before leaving coaching.
He’s been vocal about wanting to return to his old job, saying, “I’d like to [return to the Jets], there’s no doubt about it.”
“I’ve let everyone know that I definitely would be interested in that job, even though I’ve got a great gig,” Ryan said. “I think I have some unfinished business, especially with that franchise. That particular franchise, you know my dad was there forever, he won a Super Bowl, and it’s super close to me. I would get back in it if I thought I could make a difference — and I think I could make a big difference with that team.”
The Jets currently sit at 4-12 and have struggled all season in all three phases. Things didn’t go as planned with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who could be playing his last football game, or potentially his last game with the team, on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Whoever comes in as the new HC will have many decisions to make, including handling the QB situation, which right now is up in the air.
Ryan has a vision for the team and believes he could be the one to turn them into a winning squad.
“I think if I took over, it’d be turned in about two minutes, because I think it starts with the passion and the energy that I would bring to that building and the ‘we’re not gonna take any poop’ mentality, either,” he said. “We’re gonna kick your ass and we don’t care if you like it or not. But with that comes responsibilities and accountability from that football team. I’ll take every bullet, I get it. I want my players to play fast and I want them to be relentless.”
He complimented the team he sees in front of him, noting that he thinks they play “with effort,” but doesn’t think they play “with the enthusiasm that you need.” If he came in to lead the locker room, Ryan believes “that would change in a second.”
“The minute I got there it would change, and it would have to or the guy would be down the road,” Ryan said.
“I had a vision for the team and we weren’t gonna take any shit,” Ryan said. “And that’s exactly how Dan Campbell is. And that’s what I think, the other thing is, too, get a guy that connects with the fan base and all that. That’s why I want to be the next coach of the Jets.”
Ryan is not the only candidate interested in the challenge of turning the team around. The team has wasted no time and have already interviewed multiple candidates for both roles, already interviewing former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera as well as former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Jeff Ulbrich, Jets interim head coach, is also expected to get an interview.
Louis Riddick, ESPN analyst, Jim Nagy, Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director, Jon Robinson, former Titans general manager and Thomas Dimitroff, former Atlanta Falcons general manager have all interviewed for the GM position, per the team.
