No one believes in Rex Ryan taking the Jets head coaching job more than Rex Ryan himself.
Ryan, who coached the Jets from 2009 to 2014, is looking for more work opportunities and is scheduled to meet with the Jets' owner this week in Florida.
But unlike the other candidates, Ryan has been actively campaigning for the position through various appearances on ESPN's show (the network that currently employs him as an analyst), and on Monday In the morning, he returned to the task and proudly declared himself “the best man” for the job.
Ryan, 62, appeared on ESPN New York's “DiPietro & Rosenberg Show” to brag about himself and criticize Aaron Rodgers' “country club” mentality.
“The reason I think I can get it is because I'm the best guy to get it. It's not even close,” Ryan said during a radio appearance. “What you have to do is you have to connect with the football team, you have to connect with the fan base. The way they play, that's the most important thing. It's not just X and Os and stuff like this. Ben Jonson, I love him, I really do, but I'm better suited for this job than he is.”
Johnson, currently the Lions' offensive coordinator and one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market, is not expected to interview with the Jets.
But the Jets have already interviewed former Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former Panthers coach Ron Rivera, and have submitted interview requests to a number of names linked to other teams.
Ryan was the head coach the last time the Jets made it to the postseason, and under his reign, the Jets made back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009 and 2010.
He was fired after the 2014 season, when the team went 4-12.
The Jets are coming off another disastrous season despite high hopes for a team with a healthy Rodgers under center, who missed the entire 2023 season with an injury sustained in his first offensive series with the Jets.
Rodgers struggled for part of the 2024 season, was criticized for missing mandatory minicamp in the spring, and was ultimately fined about $100,000.
“Obviously, when you have a player who doesn't come to mandatory minicamp, by the way, he's a quarterback coming back from an injury, I think that's a totally stupid message to send to a team,” Ryan said. Mr. Rogers during an interview. “If he comes back, things will be different. If he comes back, it's not a country club, show up whenever you want to show up. That's not going to happen. Let's just leave it at that. .”
Rodgers' future with the Jets is uncertain, with owner Woody Johnson saying in an exclusive interview with the Post's Brian Costello that Rodgers' decisions will be made by the new head coach and general manager.
