It’s official: Rex Ryan is the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.
The team announced today that Ryan has been hired.
“Following an extensive search, we are pleased today to announce that Rex Ryan is our new head coach,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said. “Rex brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position that we feel will be a tremendous benefit to our players and the entire Bills organization. He was very impressive during the interview process, as were many of the candidates to which we spoke, and we feel Rex is the best fit for our team. We look forward to his leadership and expertise in directing our team to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans.”
Ryan spent the last six seasons as coach of the Jets. In Buffalo he replaces Doug Marrone, who opted out of his contract after the 2014 season ended.
Ryan inherits a Bills team that showed some promise last year, and he’ll have a talented defense to work with. The big question facing Ryan will be the big question that always faced him with the Jets: Does he have a quarterback in place? If he does, the Bills should be in first place. If he doesn’t, Ryan’s tenure in Buffalo may look a lot like his tenure with the Jets.