Rex Ryan ‘100%’ expects to land New York Jets head coaching job

Rex Ryan spoke Monday about his chances to land the New York Jets head coaching job, saying he is confident he’ll return to the Meadowlands.

Ryan is reportedly set to interview with the Jets Tuesday, per a weekend report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Jets already completed an interview with former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who’s expected to be a hot candidate this cycle.

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But if Ryan has his way, he’ll return to the sideline for New York.

“100%, absolutely I do,” Ryan said on ESPN New York. “And the reason I think I’m going to get it is because I’m the best guy, and it ain’t close. The thing that you have to do, you have to connect with a football team. You have to connect with your fan base and the way they play. That’s the most important thing, not just the x’s and o’s and all that. Look, this Ben Johnson, I love him. I absolutely love him, but I’m a better candidate for this job than he would be.”

Ryan hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016, his second and final season as the Buffalo Bills head coach. He previously coached the Jets from 2009-14, going 46-50 in six seasons and making two AFC Championship games.

He also interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator job back in February of 2024, showing there was still interest in him around the league.

Ryan is 61-66 overall as a head coach, going 15-16 with the Bills in two seasons, but hasn’t coached in nearly a decade. Since then, he’s worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN, being featured on Sunday NFL Countdown, Get Up, and more.

Known as an excellent defensive mind, Ryan won Super Bowl XXXV as the defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2004 before becoming the team’s defensive coordinator.