Will the New York Jets look to their past to lead them into their future? One former Jets head coach believes he’s the person to lead that locker room again.
During an appearance on ESPN New York’s “Bart and Hahn,” Rex Ryan made his pitch and threw his name into the hat to become the Jets’ next head coach.
“I look at it this way. Blow it up? We’re going to blow the opponents up. There’s way too much talent on this team to play the way we’ve been playing. Period,” Ryan said, using “we” as if he’s still part of the franchise. “And how hard can you get a guy to play? That’s the thing. Like, nobody has seen a team that is going to play as hard as this team’s going to play in the future, trust me. If I’m the guy, trust me.”
Former #Jets HC Rex Ryan sounds like a man who wants to return to the organization as their head coach…
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 21, 2024
The Jets have not made the playoffs since the Rex Ryan/Mike Tannenbaum era, when they reached back-to-back AFC Championship games.
(🎥 @ESPNNewYork)pic.twitter.com/FJGNJnY5cp
The Jets fired former head coach Robert Saleh following Week 5’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings that dropped New York to 2-3. However, it’s been worse under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, as the Jets have gone 1-5.
Owner Woody Johnson also parted ways with general manager Joe Douglas, as he is blowing up the front office and coaching staff heading into next season.
The Jets had Super Bowl aspirations in 2024 with a healthy Aaron Rodgers returning, young playmakers in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, and a stout defense. However, New York will miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.
The last time the Jets made the playoffs was when Ryan was head coach.
Does Ryan deserve another chance to man the Jets’ sideline? He believes so.
“That’s what is going to separate me from all these other guys you’re going to bring in. You know, your [Jon] Grudens or whoever, whatever. Give me a break,” Ryan said. “They ain’t New York Jets. I’m all about the Jets. And the great thing is, yeah, you get a second chance at it, and that doesn’t happen very often. Well, when it does, it’s usually special. And so, we’ll find out if I get that chance or not. If not, I hope they have one hell of a guy in place because I still want to be a fan of the Jets. I still want to be. But when I look around, I know nobody is better than me.”
Related: ESPN host claims Aaron Rodgers ‘undercut’ Robert Saleh as New York Jets fire head coach
Rex Ryan’s past with New York Jets
Ryan was the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator for four seasons before being named New York’s head coach going into the 2009 season.
He was very successful leading the Jets his first two years, as they made the AFC Championship game in 2009 and 2010. However, it was all downhill after that, as he was unable to record a season above .500 the next four years.
Overall, he was 46-50 as Jets’ head coach from 2009 until 2014.
Ryan then was the Buffalo Bills’ head coach for two seasons, where he went 15-16 during that time.
He hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016.
It’s hard to see Ryan leading Gang Green again with the franchise’s future seemingly at stake. On top of looking for a new head coach and general manager, the Jets face significant uncertainty heading into the 2025 season.
Related: Aaron Rodgers calls New York Jets ‘must-watch TV,’ goes on to blast critics