The New York Jets are in the midst of yet another head coaching search following a disastrous 5-12 season in which they fired Robert Saleh just five games into the campaign. Incumbent interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich shepherded the team to a 3-9 record after Saleh’s dismissal, and there’s little chance he’s given the full-time job.
After New Year’s Day, the team completed interviews with two popular retread candidates: Ron Rivera and Mike Vrabel. Though both have impressive track records at previous stops, the team’s most recent interview is sure to catch the most eyes among fans.
The New York Jets Interview Former Head Coach Rex Ryan
According to the team, the Jets have officially interviewed former head coach Rex Ryan for the same opening.
We have completed an interview with Rex Ryan for our Head Coach position.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 7, 2025
Ryan, of course, was the team’s head coach from 2009-14, leading the team to a 46-50 record and two AFC Championship Game appearances. The team has not appeared in a playoff game since the 2010 season.
Given his success with Gang Green, Ryan is sure to be a popular candidate with certain sects of the fanbase. And, if one NFL legend’s word is anything to go by, Ryan clearly still has his fans around league circles.
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 7, 2025
Why the New York Jets Should Take a Long Look at Ryan
As the head coach of the Jets and defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, Ryan led a top-10 scoring defense five times in a six-season stretch from 2005-2010. In his first season as Jets head coach in 2009, New York improved from the 18th-ranked scoring defense the year before to the No. 1 scoring defense that season.
Most quarterbacks who saw Ryan’s defense regularly performed worse against his units compared to their baseline level of play between 2009 and 2016 (Ryan’s tenure as a head coach in the NFL). Some notable examples of quarterbacks who saw their EPA per dropback dip against Ryan’s teams compared to others from 2009-16 include:
- Tom Brady: 0.13 EPA/dropback vs. Ryan’s teams | 0.22 vs. all others
- Philip Rivers: 0.09 EPA/dropback vs. Ryan’s teams | 0.16 vs. all others
- Andrew Luck: -0.04 EPA/dropback vs. Ryan’s teams | 0.10 vs. all others
- Joe Flacco: -0.12 EPA/dropback vs. Ryan’s teams | 0.05 vs. all others
- Carson Palmer: -0.29 EPA/dropback vs. Ryan’s teams | 0.08 vs. all others
Of course, defense isn’t the main concern for the Jets this offseason, which makes it peculiar that they’ve interviewed three candidates with defensive backgrounds.
The team ranked 24th in yards per game (310.3) and tied for 24th in points per game (19.9) this season. With Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams all but certain to depart this upcoming offseason, the team is going to undergo a total overhaul on that side of the ball, with anyone not named Breece Hall or Garrett Wilson subject to be displaced from the roster.
It wouldn’t surprise to see the Jets interview a candidate like Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson once Detroit’s season is over, but for now, the team appears to be focused on veteran coaches with defense-first mindsets.
Having the approval of Coach Prime may seem trivial and perfunctory at first, but given that he may be an NFL coaching candidate himself this offseason, it speaks volumes that he’s vouching for Ryan. Perhaps the Jets would be wise to heed Sanders’ advice and give Ryan another shot at leading the team.