Former NFL coach Rex Ryan is rumored to be a potential candidate for the Denver Broncos not yet vacant defensive coordinator position amid the team's struggles, according to ESPN colleague Pat McAfee.
McAfee, appearing on his titular ESPN and YouTube show Monday (October 16), specified that there were "rumblings" and "rumors" about the Broncos potentially firing current defensive coordinator Vance Joseph -- who the team hired over Ryan earlier this year -- with the former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach being on "the radar" for the position. The former NFL punter specified that, despite also working for ESPN, he didn't hear the rumor from any colleagues, rather that it was speculation from "around the league."
ESPN colleague Adam Schefter denied the rumor while appearing on the Pat McAfee Show later in the day, claiming Ryan, himself, denied the rumor.
"No, Rex is not going to Denver right now," Schefter said. "And you know who my source is on that? Rex. We were talking about it yesterday as we were watching the games. He's not going to Denver right now."
Schefter acknowledged that Ryan was previously among two finalists for the same position prior to the Broncos hiring Joseph and said he thought the former coach was "very thankful that he's in the spot he is," but said he didn't "think that the coaching bug is out of him."
"I wouldn't be shocked if he did it again," Schefter said. "He loves that, like, coaches love to coach. The coaches who love it, they love it, Pat."
"Rex loves to coach," Schefter added. "Could he go back to that one day? That would not surprise me. But, right now, his job is with ESPN and he does a great job with that and so I love working with him as a teammate."
Ryan has a 61-66 overall record as a head coach, which includes making consecutive playoff appearances during his first two seasons with the Jets. The 60-year-old had previously held jobs collegiately at Morehead State (1990-93), Cincinnati (1996-97) and Oklahoma (1998), as well as with the Arizona Cardinals (1994-95), before being hired by the Ravens in 1999 as a defensive line coach, which included contributing to the franchise's Super Bowl XXXV win and later being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2005.
Ryan, the son of late former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan and twin brother of Las Vegas Raiders senior defensive assistant Rob Ryan, emerged as one of the league's biggest personalities during his tenure with the Jets, which included being featured on HBO's Hard Knocks series during his second season.
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