Now that the New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel to be the team’s next coach, there are now five NFL head coaching vacancies remaining. The New York Jets are one of them.
So far, the Jets have interviewed Vrabel, Ron Rivera, Rex Ryan, Matt Nagy, Aaron Glenn, Mike Locksley, Steve Spagnuolo, and Darren Rizzi. However, one of them has already been eliminated from the process.
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Rex Ryan already eliminated from New York Jets’ consideration
Even though he had complete confidence he’d be hired, the New York Jets have already reportedly eliminated Rex Ryan from their pool of coaching candidates. The news comes from SNY’s Jets insider Connor Hughes, who says “that (a Rex Ryan hiring) is not gonna happen with the Jets.”
It was just on Sunday when Ryan, making his usual appearance on ESPN’s NFL gameday coverage, confidently stated, “Hopefully I get to kick that guy’s ass twice a year” in response to the Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel. Of course, Ryan was referring to him potentially landing the Jets’ head coaching job.
Rex Ryan's immediate reaction to the Mike Vrabel news? "Hopefully I get to kick this guy's ass twice a year. …My team, not me personally!" pic.twitter.com/yGxt4HiOIR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 12, 2025
While Ryan never doubts himself, he was never viewed as a frontrunner for the job. Though, how he’s already been eliminated without the Jets even hiring a general manager yet is a fascinating footnote. Usually, the GM picks their coach, but perhaps none of their managerial candidates expressed interest in hiring Ryan either.
