Broncos’ Sean Payton interviewed Rex Ryan for defense coordinator position: report

Rex Ryan was out of it NFL since 2016 when he was fired as the Buffalo Bills head coach.

The ESPN analyst is reportedly trying to return to the sidelines after interviewing Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton for the position of defense coordinator.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton answers questions from the media on February 6, 2023 at the UCHealth Training Center in Englewood, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Ryan has emerged as a “surprise candidate” for the DC job this week, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

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Ryan was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2005 to 2008 before becoming the Baltimore Ravens head coach New York Jets.

in new york, Ryan put together a record 46-50 in six seasons and led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010.

He was fired by the Jets in 2014 after a 4-12 and became the Bills head coach for two seasons from 2015-16.

Ryan has been an analyst for ESPN since 2017.

Head coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets celebrates with players and coaches after a win against the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium December 28, 2014 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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Payton was officially named the Broncos’ head coach in early February after taking a year off from coaching.

He stepped away from that Saints of New Orleans after the 2021 season and worked for Fox as an NFL analyst.

While Payton said he enjoyed his year in the NFL, nothing replaced the feeling of being on the sidelines.

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Rex Ryan speaks during ESPN’s portion of the Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour on July 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

“You go home and there’s nothing that replaces the feeling of winning,” Payton said at his inaugural press conference, according to the Broncos website. “It just didn’t do it. And so in the distance – I used that analogy – it was a bit like that racetrack where you could smell the gas, you heard the cars runningyou could see the lights.

“You knew you were there. and you know how it is. It’s hectic, it’s loud, it’s busy, it’s loud, it’s not always fun. There are challenging times. There are losses, there are victories. But every day you’d look and you’d hear it, and you’d be like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to get back.'”

Ryan’s brother Rob was defense coordinator under Payton in New Orleans from 2013-2015.