Rex Ryan is officially staying within the AFC East. The former New York Jets coach has been named the new Buffalo Bills coach.
After reports over the weekend said that Ryan was close to signing a five-year deal with the Bills, the team made it official. He will be the 18th head coach in the franchise’s history.
“Rex brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position that we feel will be a tremendous benefit to our players and the entire Bills organization,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said. “He was very impressive during the interview process, as were many of the candidates to which we spoke, and we feel Rex is the best fit for our team.”
The Jets fired Ryan on Black Monday, the first day after the 2014 season wrapped. It was a miserable year for the Jets, winning just four games and struggling offensively all year. That was a sad end to his six-year career with the Jets, which included two straight trips to the AFC Championship game.
Despite the 2014 results, Ryan immediately drew interest from other teams and also interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons.
Going to the Bills is an interesting decision for Ryan because it means that he will have to develop another young quarterback. E.J. Manuel started the season for the Bills, but was benched quickly for Kyle Orton, who has since retired, notes NJ.com. On top of that, Ryan won’t have a first-round draft pick to play with this year, since the Bills traded their 2015 pick to the Browns so they could move up in the draft to pick receiver Sammy Watkins.
Still, the Bills do have a rising team outside of the quarterback position. While they missed the playoffs again, they did manage a 9-8 season and finished behind the Patriots in the AFC East.