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Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan could be coming out of retirement in 2023 after an official interview with Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos organization.
On February 19, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported: “Former Jets and [Buffalo] Bills HC and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan interviewed Saturday in Denver for the Broncos [defensive coordinator] job. Ryan and former Broncos HC Vance Joseph are amongst a handful of candidates for the job.”
Schefter also added a direct statement from Ryan, who has yet to speak publicly on the possibility of joining Payton’s staff. “Ryan has told ESPN he would only leave the network ‘for the perfect situation,'” the insider revealed, quoting the long-time coach.
It remains to be seen if Denver is “the perfect situation” for Ryan at this time.
Ex-Jets HC Rex Ryan Was Referred to as ‘Top Candidate’ for Broncos DC Role
Earlier in the week on February 15, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport tweeted out some breaking news on Ryan, calling him a “top candidate” for the Broncos DC role.
He informed: “Comeback? Rex Ryan has emerged as a top candidate for the Broncos defensive coordinator job, per me and @MikeGarafolo. Ryan has been on ESPN after being fired by the Bills in 2016. If all goes well, he could be headed back [to] the NFL.”
Later, on February 17, ESPN’s Jeff Legwold shared an update from the Denver coaching search that “[former ex-Jets assistant] Mike Westhoff has signed [a] deal to be [the] assistant head coach for [the] Broncos and will oversee special teams with Ben Kotwica having been hired as special teams coordinator.”
One would assume that Westhoff’s involvement should aid Ryan in landing the new gig — so long as he wants it. The two veteran coaches were good friends during their tenure together with Gang Green, and that friendship appears to have extended into retirement.
During his book, “Figure It Out: My Thirty-Two-Year Journey While Revolutionizing Pro Football’s Special Teams,” Westhoff admitted that “Rex kept things stirred up with the media” before adding that he “would read something he said and just shake my head and laugh.”
Westhoff explained: “Never did any of his craziness show itself around the team. We had an organized, disciplined program that showed no signs of Rex’s sometimes crazy media antics.”
Payton hired Westhoff once before in New Orleans from 2017 through 2018.
Rex Ryan Spotted in Denver Ahead of Broncos Interview
It’s not exactly shocking after the Schefter report, but Ryan was spotted in Denver on February 18 ahead of his interview. The tweet from Nolan Ritter quickly went viral with over 1,000 likes and nearly 250,000 views.
The caption read: “Rex Ryan at the Hilton Hotel this morning in Centennial. 🤔 @Broncos #Broncos #NFL.”
Ironically enough, a semi-viral photo preluded Westhoff’s hire, and the same could be the case for Ryan. The only difference is that the special teams coach posted his Twitter pic himself.
“Last ride in #jacksonhole before heading to @_DenverColorado to meet up with an old friend,” Westhoff hinted at followers on February 16.
If the Broncos end up getting the entire NYJ band back together in Denver, it’ll make for an interesting storyline in 2023. Just as they have the past two seasons, the Jets are already scheduled to fly to Colorado once again during the upcoming campaign — although the exact date has yet to be determined.
Weirdly enough, the Jets have played the Broncos each of the past three years with matchup number four coming in 2023. The Green & White were victorious in 2022 but lost the two previous encounters in both Denver and MetLife Stadium in 2020.
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