The New York Jets are expected to interview two accomplished head coach candidates, including one from their recent past.
Former Jets coach Rex Ryan said Monday on ESPN New York radio that he expects to interview for the team’s head coaching job. Besides Ryan, the team is also expected to interview Ron Rivera, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The Jets will be hiring a new coach and general manager after firing both Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, respectively, this season. The team has one game left in a disappointing season that began with hopes of ending the franchise 14-year postseason drought behind Aaron Rodgers but has resulted in just four wins with one game left. The Jets were 2-3 after firing Saleh and have gone 2-11 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.
The team’s latest loss came Sunday, a 40-14 drubbing at the Buffalo Bills during which the Jets were penalized 16 times, including five personal fouls, the most accepted penalties for the Jets since 2018.
“I believe I will,” Ryan, who is currently an ESPN analyst, said Monday when asked if he expects to interview for the team’s coaching vacancy.
Ryan added that he has not yet had any conversations yet with the team but that he expects the process to begin after the regular season ends. “… We’ll see what happens once the season’s over.”
The Jets have already interviewed three candidates for their GM vacancy: former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson and Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy. The Jets are also expected to interview ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for the post, sources have told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jets retained The 33rd Team to provide date analysis and experience in their searches for both positions. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman, who served as an adviser for the Washington Commanders‘ GM and coaching searches last year, are leading the project for The 33rd Team.
Tannenbaum was the Jets’ general manager when Ryan was hired as the team’s head coach in 2009. Ryan got off to a fast start with the Jets, leading the franchise to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances. The Jets haven’t made the postseason since he led the Jets to the second of those appearances after the 2010 season.
Ryan, 62, went 46-50 in six seasons as the Jets’ head coach. After being fired by the Jets after the 2014 season, he was hired by the Bills and went 15-16 in two seasons as coach.
Rivera, 62, has a 102-103-2 record in 13 seasons as a head coach, most recently with the Washington Commanders. He was fired by Washington following last season after going 26-40-1 in four seasons. Before that he coached the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons, going 76-63-1 and leading the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015.
NFL Network first reported that Rivera was expected to interview for the Jets’ coaching vacancy.