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Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan speaking with the media at rookie minicamp.
Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is making his return.
No, not for a job, but rather as an observer.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini shared all the details on the “Jets Collective” podcast on Thursday, June 11.
“I was talking to Rex Ryan yesterday, and Rex told me he is trying to go on Tuesday. So another former Jets coach. It’ll be weird,” Cimini said. “Seeing Rex Ryan at minicamp on Tuesday will be a little bit weird.”
The reason Cimini described this potential appearance as weird is that he hasn’t seen Ryan back at the Jets facilities since he was fired in 2014.
“Yeah, maybe he [visited] and I just don’t know about it, but he told me that he is hoping to get there on Tuesday,” Cimini added.
Tuesday, June 16, will be the first of a three-day mandatory minicamp for the Jets. After June 18, they will break for the summer and return in about six weeks for training camp in late July.
Seth Ryan, Son of Rex, Meets With the Media
Rex isn’t returning solely for a trip down memory lane. He is coming back to 1 Jets Drive to see his son, Seth Ryan, coach for the green and white.
“[I] talked to him yesterday about his son, Seth, being the passing game coordinator. They made Seth available to the media yesterday, so it was fun meeting him. The last time I saw Seth, he was like a 16-year-old ball boy running around for the Jets, Rex, and the players. So that was a trip seeing Seth,” Cimini said.
This isn’t your typical nepotism hire. Seth Ryan earned rave reviews around the league for his intelligence and creativity as an offensive coach.
“This means a lot to our family, and in my family, we have kind of a saying with all coaches,” Ryan told the local media this week via Cimini. “My grandfather told my dad, ‘I need you to be a little bit better than me.’ My dad told me, ‘I need you to be better than me.’ … “So I chose offense to make sure that was going to happen.”
Some More Nostalgia
The Jets announced on their official X account that legendary coach Mike Westhoff stopped by practice this week as a guest of the coaching staff.
He is considered to be one of, if not the greatest, special teams coach of all time.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini noted that in two weeks, Westhoff is set to receive the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s award of excellence honors.
“The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced that Westhoff is one of three NFL coaches who will receive Awards of Excellence from the Hall for jobs well done in the assistant coach category,” Jets senior contributor Randy Lange wrote.
“Mike and his fellow honored contributors in five categories will be feted at a cocktail dinner and awards luncheon to celebrate their careers June 24-25 in Canton. Bob McKittrick and Ted Cottrell will also be assistant coach honorees in the awards program’s fifth class,” Lange added.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
