The Monday following Week 17 of the 2014 NFL regular season marked the end of Rex Ryan's six-year tenure with the New York Jets. His career in the Meadowlands began with a bang-two AFC Championships, a postseason upset of the hated Patriots in New England, and plenty of notable quotes and videos.
Over time, the lack of elite quarterback play caught up with them. His offensive line deteriorated some, key defensive players aged, and instability with upper management finally did him in.
He is expected to be highly sought after this offseason though, so Sports World News will rank the best landing spots for him.
5. Buffalo Bills
Rex Ryan is known for his defense, and the Bills already have that in place. They were the No. 2 defense in the NFL per FootballOutsiders.com, and are well-stocked on the defensive line and in the secondary.
Not only that, by coaching the Bills he'd get two cracks a season to stick it to the Jets for firing him. The only problem in Buffalo is the quarterback position. With E.J. Manuel he'd deal with another inconsistent QB that might have confidence issues after being benched four games into the year for retread veteran Kyle Orton.
Rex may want to walk into a situation with a QB in place this time around.
4. San Francisco 49ers
Like the Bills, the 49ers defensive cupboard is full. Offensively, they have more talent at the skill positions than the Jets ever did in Rex's six years, and a more established quarterback in Colin Kaepernick than he's coached.
The 49ers are also coming off the reign of Jim Harbaugh, who grated on people in the organization despite his extensive success. Rex is a renowned player's coach, and has shown astounding loyalty to veterans in the past-some would say to a fault.
The downside of this job are two-fold. First, expectations will be sky high. The talent at running back, wide receiver, and linebacker should equal a postseason berth. Second, while Kaepernick is a major upgrade over Ryan's previous passers, he has a unique skill set that Ryan's basic offenses might not highlight. Kaepernick can count on Rex having his back, but it's doubtful Ryan will improve him.
3. Chicago Bears
The Bears used to be the "Monsters of the Midway" and Rex Ryan has the defensive mind to return them there. They also have a quarterback in Jay Cutler who may fit Ryan's traditional offensive approach.
FootballOutsiders weighs performances later in the season more to reflect how a team finished, and in that regard the Bears' defense was dead last. They appeared to quit on since-fired head coach Marc Trestman, which is something the Jets never did even at their worst under Ryan.
The Bears may not have the talent to perfectly execute Ryan's schemes right away, but the culture he establishes could do some immediate good.
2. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders do not know yet what they have at quarterback, but after one season Derek Carr has shown flashes of being the real deal. Despite their poor record Oakland is redeemable.
Their run defense ranked in the Top 15 this season, youth in the secondary, and a slew of young playmakers like running back Latavius Murray, tight end Mychal Rivera and linebacker Khalil Mack.
With these pieces in place, Ryan has a nice core to work with. His brash attitude also fits Raider Nation like a glove. The wild fans in the Black Hole would eat up his bold declarations, and the young, energetic players would run through walls for him. This is almost a match made in heaven.
1. Atlanta Falcons
While the Oakland job sounds perfect, the Atlanta job may actually be perfect. While the Falcons defense was truly awful in 2014 and doesn't have much talent in place that makes a quick turnaround seem imminent, Ryan proved this year he can carve out an above average D with scraps.
What makes this job ideal for Rex are the offensive pieces in place. He has proven he doesn't excel as an offensive mind, and that's a major reason having a good quarterback in place is important. With Atlanta he has a quarterback that is much better than good in Matt Ryan. He also has an elite wide receiver in Julio Jones, a very competent veteran leader in Roddy White, and an offensive line that should be much better next year when healthy.
If Rex can coach up this defense, the Falcons might be a scary sight in the NFC South for years to come. This is the right place.
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