The New York Jets fired head coach Rex Ryan on Monday, ending his six-year tenure with the organization. Ryan, who is known for his enthusiastic and in-your-face personality, decided to sit down and meet with ESPN officials in case another coaching job doesn’t come up in 2015, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
For anybody who follows Ryan’s career or ESPN, this could have been seen coming 10 miles away. Ryan appears to be a natural fit for television with strong opinions and a terrific sense of humor. As for the powers at Bristol, why not? ESPN has an endless flow of financial resources and already employs a litany of former NFL players and coaches, ranging from Herm Edwards and Merril Hoge to Ron Jaworski, Darren Woodson and Jon Gruden. One would imagine that other networks would make a play for his services, though.
A deal between Ryan and ESPN might come to fruition if Mehta is correct about Ryan only wanting a head-coaching job. Considering only the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears have vacancies outside the Jets, the odds that Ryan finds immediate employment might not be as great as you’d expect. A year in two in television might be a benefit to his long-term career or he could end up staying in television permanently like Gruden has.
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About Matt Verderame
Matt Verderame, 26, is a New Yorker who went to school at the frozen tundra of SUNY Oswego. After graduating, Verderame has worked for Gannett and SB Nation among other ventures.