ESPN
Rex Ryan last coached in the NFL during the 2016 season with the Buffalo Bills.
- Rex Ryan casually mentioned during an ESPN segment that he will likely leave the network and return to coaching in 2019.
- The comment came as Ryan was criticizing Bill Belichick over the New England Patriots' loss on Sunday.
- Ryan added that he didn't care if his criticism made people in the NFL mad at him, suggesting he would take a job in the NFL and not college.
- Ryan had left open the possibility of coaching again but has said that he needed time off to recharge his batteries.
The NFL may have one of its more colorful personalities back on the sidelines in 2019.
During a segment on ESPN's "Get Up!," Rex Ryan casually mentioned that he will "probably" leave ESPN and return to coaching in 2019. The comment came as he criticized New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick with Ryan saying he didn't care if the criticism "makes everybody mad" at him.
"Guess what," Ryan said. "You know what? I will probably get back into football next year, and I don't care if I make everybody mad at me or whatever. I could care less."
The final comment suggests Ryan is planning to return to the NFL and would not be taking a job at the college level.
Ryan was criticizing Belichick for the decision to use Rob Gronkowski on the final play of the Patriots' loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Read more: Dolphins pull off stunning upset over Patriots with last-second hook-and-ladder play
Here is the video of Ryan's comments, via ESPN's "Get Up!":
Ryan coached the New York Jets for six years, leading them to the AFC Championship game in each of his first two seasons. He then coached the Buffalo Bills for two seasons and was fired before the final game of the 2016 season.
Ryan has spent the last two years as an analyst at ESPN.
During the 2017 season, Ryan left open the possibility of coaching again but said he realized at ESPN that he needed some time away from the sidelines.
"This might be the best thing that could have happened to me," Ryan told NFL.com. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I needed a year off. Everyone talks about recharging your batteries. But you have no idea until you actually do it."
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