While it’s unclear precisely what Jets coach Rex Ryan needs to do to extend his stay in New York beyond 2013, he knows what he can’t do.
“It’s safe to say I won’t be here if we draft [Jadeveon] Clowney,” Ryan told the media on Saturday. The team then highlighted the comment via its official Twitter page.
Ryan’s remark and the franchise’s decision to point to it could make some of the league’s sticklers a little uneasy, since technically no league employee may say anything about any underclassmen who has yet to be declared eligible for the draft. But it happens, and rarely if ever does the league do anything about it.
The real question is what it will take between winning the Super Bowl or the Clowney sweepstakes to preserve Ryan’s job. More importantly, it remains to be seen who’ll make the decision on Rex -- G.M. John Idzik, owner Woody Johnson, or maybe someone else.
Chances are the right answer will be obvious when the season ends. But there’s a chance the Jets will miss the playoffs and land in the gulf between 7-9 and 9-7, making it much harder to determine whether Rex should still be employed.