National Football League

Reports: NFL teams lining up to interview Rex Ryan for head coach

Published Dec. 31, 2014 12:15 a.m. ET

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Rex Ryan may have left the Jets the most vilified man in New York. Turns out he’s pretty popular in other NFL front offices.

A day after Ryan and general manager John Idzik were axed by Jets owner Woody Johnson, reports surfaced Tuesday that the former Jets head coach will interview with both the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers for their head-coaching vacancies.

Despite the reputation Ryan earned in New York as a coach who could not live up to his own boisterous predictions, he would seem to make sense for both teams which in recent seasons were among the NFC’s elite.

Ryan is considered among the NFL’s best defensive minds, having served as assistant coach on the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive staff for 10 seasons before taking over in New York, including serving as defensive line coach the season the Ravens won their first Super Bowl and serving as defensive coordinator his final four seasons in Baltimore.

The Falcons sport an offense featuring Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White and up-and-coming running back Devonta Freeman. But the Atlanta defense was dreadful in 2014, finishing dead last in the NFL with 398.3 yards allowed per game. In the Falcons’ season finale, a win-or-go-home showdown against the Panthers with the NFC South crown on the line, Atlanta gave up only 306 yards, but sacked Cam Newton only once, forced him to throw only six incompletions and failed to create a turnover.

The 49ers were consistently among the NFL’s best defenses in Jim Harbaugh’s four seasons as head coach, never finishing worse than fifth in the league in yards allowed, only once finishing outside the top three in points allowed, and leading the league in takeaways once. The San Francisco defense features young, dominant players such as Alton Smith, NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis.

Ryan was 46-50 in six seasons in New York, and had a winning record in the postseason (4-2). But those four wins came in his first two seasons (two failed trips to the AFC Championship Game) and the Jets failed to finish with a winning record in any of Ryan’s final four seasons.

The Falcons let go of Mike Smith on Black Monday after a second consecutive losing season. After double-digit wins in four of his first five seasons in Atlanta, Smith saw the Falcons go 4-12 and 6-10 over the past two seasons.

Harbaugh and the 49ers mutually parted ways after four seasons, a 64-19-1 record in the regular season, three straight NFC Championship Game appearances, a three-point loss in a Super Bowl and one tumultuous final season.