Many thought Rex Ryan’s future was in the balance, with a first year General Manager who didn’t hire him, and an 8-8 record.
He was able to keep his job for this year, but Jets owner Woody Johnson said he has higher expectations for the coming season.
“[An] 8-8 [record] was good, but I wasn’t satisfied,” Johnson said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “That’s for sure. We’re not satisfied unless we go further than that.”
While he wouldn’t make a firm “playoffs-or-bust” declaration, he made it clear he wanted to see a better product.
He also defended G.M. John Idzik’s careful approach to free agency. Other than Eric Decker, the Jets didn’t make much of a splash in free agency, and still have more than $20 million in cap space (maybe it’s under that white cap Johnson is always wearing).
“John is using the cash that he has,” Johnson said. “Number one, he has some obligations going forward, as you guys know. But it’s really trying to find the best value and the best fit for the team, not just wantonly spending in free agency and doing that. Our culture is one of building ourselves. We’d rather take a player in the draft, mold him into what our culture is and have him be a Jet for us. That’s our ideal. Obviously, we got Eric Decker. We got some really good free agents. But we’re not just looking to spend money. We want to make sure it’s a value and it’s a good fit for us.”
For the time being, it appears he’s confident that Ryan’s a good fit. But after three straight years missing the playoffs, it’s obvious that something needs to change.