Rex Ryan’s vote of confidence from Bills ownership comes with an early expiration date.
The Buffalo News reports Ryan and general manager Doug Whaley both were told by Bills owner Terry Pegula they would be fired if the team did not make the playoffs next season.
Ryan was hired in Buffalo with his standard bravado in replacing the vanilla Doug Marrone, which was met by great fanfare. But that turned to frustration as the season went on and the team and its defense — Ryan’s strength — regressed in a disappointing 8-8 campaign amid a slew of complaints from defensive players, most notably defensive end Mario Williams.
Before the season, along with guaranteeing a playoff spot, the 53-year-old Ryan said the Bills would be his last coaching stop.
“This is definitely going to be it,” Ryan told USA Today. “This is my last stop in coaching, and then when my days are up, I’ll turn it over to the younger generation. I’m not going anywhere else.”
After leading the Jets to consecutive AFC Championship games in his first two seasons with the Jets, Ryan has missed the playoffs in five straight years. The 2016 season may be his last chance to break that trend.