Rex Ryan hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016.
A top NFL head coach has hinted at bringing in ESPN analyst Rex Ryan as his defensive coordinator for 2026.
Rex Ryan hasn’t been employed as an NFL coach since 2016. He was fired by the Buffalo Bills with one game left in the season, finishing his disappointing two-year tenure there with a 15-16 record.
Before his tenure in Buffalo, Ryan was head coach of the New York Jets from 2009 to 2014. He led them to consecutive AFC Championship Games to kick off his tenure, but the Jets missed the playoffs in his last four years there.
On Tuesday, legendary New York sportswriter Gary Myers said not to “discount” the idea of Harbaugh hiring Rex Ryan as his defensive coordinator. During his appearance on WFAN’s “Evan & Tiki” program with Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber, Harbaugh even expressed interest in reuniting with Ryan (starting at the 9:57 mark):
“Why not? Could you imagine Rex coming back in here? Listen, I’m not ruling anything out…Nobody calls a better game than Rex Ryan…He built great defenses. He called a great game.”
Hiring Ryan would be risky, since he hasn’t coached in nearly a full decade. We’ll just have to wait and see where Harbaugh goes as he rounds up his staff.
Rex Ryan & John Harbaugh Have History Together
Ryan was on the Ravens’ coaching staff from 1999 to 2008. He won a Super Bowl 34 ring as their defensive line coach in 2000. He was Baltimore’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator in 2008, Harbaugh’s first year with the Ravens.
The two were also on the Cincinnati Bearcats’ coaching staff together in 1996. Ryan was the defensive coordinator under then-head coach Rick Minter, and Harbaugh was the special teams coordinator.
They saw each other aplenty during Ryan’s head coaching stints with the Jets, too. Ryan’s tenure in Buffalo ended poorly, but his career track record as a defensive mastermind speaks for itself. Don’t be surprised if Harbaugh gives him another go.
