Rex Ryan and Jets Agree on Contract Extension
The Jets and Rex Ryan agreed on Thursday to a multiyear contract that will protect Ryan at least through 2015 and avoid the undesirable arrangement of having him coach next season while in the final year of his deal. The extension validates the praise given him by John Idzik, the general manager, and Woody Johnson, the team owner, who announced his return in an emotional locker room speech after the Jets' season-ending victory at Miami on Dec. 29.
Ryan, who had one year remaining on the contract he signed before the 2010 season, won eight games in 2013 with an overhauled coaching staff and 11 new starters, including a rookie at quarterback, Geno Smith.
The most interesting development is not the extension itself, which was expected after Johnson and Idzik endorsed his return for 2014, but how it seems to position both sides for the future. The deal, first reported by ESPN, offers Ryan financial incentives if the Jets make the playoffs, which they have not done since 2010.
If the Jets fail to return to the postseason - or if management is not satisfied with Ryan's performance, or the team's - they will be able to escape without much financial penalty after the 2015 season. In a sense, it is not unlike the situation created by extending Mark Sanchez's contract before the 2012 season, when the Jets guaranteed his salary for the first two seasons. They were afforded the option of cutting him after the 2013 season, which they remain likely to do, without incurring as steep a financial hit.
At the team's season-ending news conference on Dec. 31, Ryan said that he would be comfortable coaching the Jets in the final year of his contract, but he, like any coach, would prefer continuity and stability. The Jets are positioned well for next season, with an array of draft picks and as much as $40 million in salary-cap space. No doubt Ryan feels that the improvements the team is bound to make this off-season - on offense, in particular - will help the Jets return to the postseason. Including the playoffs, Ryan is 46-40 in five seasons with the Jets.
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