Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 9, 2022 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacey Bence)
Rex Ryan's return to the NFL will have to wait.
According to ESPN, the Dallas Cowboys will hire Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator instead of outspoken former Jets coach Ryan.
Ryan, a defensive whiz who last coached in 2016, recently interviewed for the job.
The expected hire marks a return for the 67-year-old Zimmer, who was a member of the Cowboys' defensive staff from 1994 to 2006 and served as coordinator from 2000 to 2006.
Zimmer also served as defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals before becoming head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, where he compiled a record of 72-56-1 from 2014 to 2021.
He replaces Dan Quinn, who led the Cowboys to a top-seven finish in scoring defense in his three seasons as coordinator. The NFC East rival Washington Commanders hired Quinn as head coach last week.
Zimmer takes over a talented Dallas defense led by star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, which is coming off a disappointing 48-32 loss to the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs last month.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to keep head coach Mike McCarthy despite an embarrassing loss at home in a game that was all but decided by halftime.
Ryan, 61, was the Jets' head coach for six years from 2009 to 2014, reaching the AFC Championship Game in both of his first two seasons. However, he failed to post a winning record in his final four seasons with Gang Green, and a 4-12 season in 2014 was the nadir of his tenure, leading to his firing.
Ryan's defenses finished in the top 10 in yards allowed in all but three of his 12 seasons as head coach of the Jets and Buffalo Bills or defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.
He has been an ESPN analyst for the past seven years and has criticized McCarthy numerous times, including when the Cowboys hired him after he was fired by the Packers.
Ryan said on First Take in 2019: “To me, it's not a sexy hire because you didn't win. When Aaron Rodgers wasn't around, you were just like everyone else.” Told.
Despite his lengthy absence from the NFL, Ryan's name continues to pop up in coaching rumors. He was considered a potential mid-season replacement for Denver Broncos coordinator Vance Joseph after his defense allowed an astonishing 70 points against Miami in Week 3 last fall. However, Joseph will remain in D.C. in Denver as part of Sean Payton's coaching staff.
Ryan's twin brother, Rob Ryan, served as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator from 2011 to 2012.
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