Rex Ryan received strong consideration for one NFL coach job

Rex Ryan has expressed interest in returning to the NFL sideline in recent years, and the longtime ESPN analyst recently received legitimate consideration for a prominent job.

In an interview with Ian O'Connor of The Athletic that was published on Sunday, John Harbaugh revealed that he viewed Ryan as top candidate for the New York Giants defensive coordinator job.

"I talked to Rex about that job at length,” Harbaugh said. “Rex is a guy I love and have a lot of respect for.”

Ryan, 63, spent a season as the defensive coordinator under Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008. Ryan was then hired as the head coach of the New York Jets. Harbaugh had said after the Giants hired him as head coach that he would consider Ryan as his DC.

Harbaugh ultimately decided to hire Dennard Wilson, who also worked under him with the Ravens.

Rex Ryan still wants to coach

Ryan has enjoyed great success as an NFL analyst at ESPN, but he has made it clear that he would be open to coaching again. He interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys for their defensive coordinator job two years ago. Ryan has been openly critical of certain teams and suggested believes he could help improve more than one defense across the league.

There was even a time when Ryan openly campaigned to get one of his old jobs back, but that never seemed realistic.

Ryan built a name for himself as a successful defensive assistant with the Ravens from 1999-2008. He was the defensive line coach in Baltimore in 2000, when the team when the Super Bowl and had one of the most feared defenses in NFL history. After he left Baltimore, Ryan became the head coach of the Jets for six seasons and Buffalo Bills for two. He has a career regular-season record of 61-66 and a 4-2 mark in the playoffs.

There is still a chance Ryan could land an assistant coach job at some point in the future, but it will not be with the Giants in 2026.