Rex Ryan sent Aaron Rodgers a warning about how he would be coached if the former was hired and the latter remained a member of the New York Jets, saying the quarterback wouldn’t enjoy as much freedom as he did in his first two years at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets’ 2024 season was a forgettable one, with Rodgers failing to lead New York back to playoffs after a disastrous campaign in 2023, which saw the former MVP play only four snaps before tearing his Achilles. Distractions were plentiful this season, with the quarterback calling out his receivers and allegedly quitting on his team in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Even before the 2024 season started, Rodgers sparked. controversy by skipping part of the mandatory minicamp with the Jets admitting his absence was “unexcused.”
With all the noise surrounding Rodgers and the Jets, New York needs a voice in the building that will keep the former Super Bowl champion in line, at least according to Ryan. The former Jets head coach said as much during an appearance on the ‘DiPietro & Rothenberg Show.’
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“Clearly, when you have a guy that doesn’t show up for mandatory minicamp – and, by the way, he’s your quarterback, coming off an injury – I think that’s an absolutely ridiculous message you send to the team,” the 62-year-old said, per Yahoo! Sports. “If he comes back, things would be different.”
Ryan also outlined what a new regime with him at the helm would look like for Rodgers and the rest of the organization if the quarterback returns amid retirement speculation. “If he’s back, it ain’t gonna be the country club, show up whenever the hell you want to show up. That ain’t gonna happen. I’ll just leave it at that.”
The former Super Bowl-winning head coach is a hard-nosed, defensive-minded coach, showing his mettle as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens. Under Ryan, the Ravens frequently ranked among the best defenses in the league, culminating in a Super Bowl XXXV win over the New York Giants.
Rodgers could see a different coaching style in New York, if he remains with the Jets (
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
He then coached the Jets from 2009-2014, leading New York to the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons as head coach. Since then, the Jets have missed the playoffs in 14 straight seasons, currently the longest active postseason drought in the four major American sports.
The next four seasons would yield mixed results for Ryan and the Jets, with the coach being dismissed after the 2014 season. He then would take his talents to Buffalo, coaching the Bills for two seasons before the organization declared Ryan would be replaced by Sean McDermott.
Since the end of the 2016 season, Ryan has been on the precipice of landing head coaching positions but has never gotten over the hump. However, the 62-year-old is confident in his chances with becoming the Jets head coach once again.
“Oh, 100 percent, absolutely, I do,” he said of chances, per ESPN. “The reason I think I’m going to get it is because I’m the best guy for it. It ain’t even close. The thing you have to do is, you have to connect with your football team, you have to connect with your fan base. The way they play, that’s the most important thing.
“It’s not just the X’s and O’s and all that. This Ben Johnson, I love him, I absolutely love him, but I’m a better candidate for this job than he would be.”
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