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Two former NFL head coaches are reportedly scheduled to interview for the New York Jets' vacancy this week, ESPN reports.
Rex Ryan, who previously coached the Jets from 2009 to 2014, said he expects to interview for his old job this week while appearing on a radio program. Former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was also reported to be expected to interview for the position, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN.
The Jets will have to fill two crucial positions after former head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were both fired midway through the season. The franchise will reportedly planning to interview former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson this week and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who previously worked in the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders' front offices, at a later time, a league sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter on December 16.
The Jets are expected to interview other candidates who are currently employed by NFL teams once allowed, which they will publicly announce or confirm once each interview is completed, as was the case with Rivera on Monday.
Ryan was the last coach to lead the Jets to a playoff appearance, which included back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances during his first two seasons in 2009 and 2010, prior to the team's ongoing drought. The 62-year-old also served as the head coach of the AFC East Division rival Buffalo Bills for two seasons in 2015 and 2016, combining for a 61-66 head coaching record between both tenures.
Rivera, a former linebacker for the Super Bowl XX champion Chicago Bears, is the all-time winningest coach in Panthers history with a 76-63-1 record, having led the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015, his second of two seasons in which he won AP NFL Coach of the Year. The 62-year-old has a 102-103-2 record during his tenures with the Panthers and Commanders.