Rex Ryan has been out of the NFL since the final days of 2016. He might get a chance to return soon, perhaps to a place he knows quite well.
Ryan is expected to interview for the New York Jets' head coaching position, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday.
Ryan is the second former head coach reported to be in line for an interview with New York, joining Ron Rivera.
Though current NFL assistants cannot interview until the end of the regular season, that doesn't apply to Ryan and Rivera, both currently on-air analysts.
Ryan, 62, spent six years as New York's head coach from 2009-2014, leading the Jets to two winning seasons and two AFC Championship Game appearances in his first two years before sliding back toward a .500-or-worse run from 2011 to 2014. He left the Jets with a 46-50 regular-season record and a 4-2 playoff record, then found work with the Buffalo Bills for two seasons, posting a 15-16 record between 2015 and 2016 before he was fired.
Such an interview would not be the first time Ryan has met with prospective NFL employers in recent years. He interviewed with the Cowboys for their defensive coordinator position, which was left vacant after Dan Quinn left Dallas to take over the Washington Commanders, and also emerged as a top candidate for the Broncos' defensive coordinator job in 2023 following Denver's hiring of Sean Payton as coach.
Those jobs ended up going to Mike Zimmer (Cowboys) and Vance Joseph (Broncos), two fellow former NFL head coaches.
The Jets' interest in Ryan should come as no surprise. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum -- who hired Ryan as Jets coach in 2009 -- is part of the group advising the club in their efforts to hire a new general manager and coach.
Ryan currently works as analyst on ESPN.
