The New York Jets were the first team to make a move on Black Monday last week, officially firing head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik. Even though the Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010, Ryan is still considered a big name for several teams with head coaching vacancies.
The Atlanta Falcons, meanwhile, are looking to make waves with a splashy hire after parting ways with head coach Mike Smith. As a result, they have scheduled an interview with Ryan for Tuesday, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. Will the two sides come to an agreement?
Many NFL observers around the league believe Ryan and the Falcons are a perfect match. The Falcons need to do the most work on the defensive side of the ball, where they ranked dead last in the NFL this season. Defense just happens to be Ryan's specialty.
Ryan was fairly blamed for mismanaging the quarterback situation in New York. Six years of Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith (with a little sideshow of Tim Tebow thrown in for good measure) will generate that type of criticism. But Matt Ryan would easily be the most talented quarterback Ryan has ever worked with, and despite some holes on the offensive line, Atlanta has some solid pieces in place on offense.
However, there is a belief out there that Ryan is only meeting with teams to create more leverage in his contract negotiations with ESPN.
"As I just mentioned of PFT Live, some think Rex Ryan is talking to NFL teams in order to squeeze more money out of ESPN," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio tweeted.
While it's true that a television job would be good money and less stress, it seems like Ryan is the type of competitive and boisterous personality who would want to hop right back into coaching.
We'll keep you updated as offseason moves continue to unfold.
