| Advertisement |
Former NFL coach Rex Ryan will join ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" in September, the network officially announced Monday. The former Buffalo Bills and New York Jets head coach also will contribute to "SportsCenter," ESPN Radio and other ESPN platforms.
Advertisement
The New York Daily News reported last month that Ryan's contract is for multiple years.
Ryan, who appeared as a guest analyst for ESPN on "NFL Countdown" on the show's Super Bowl Sunday edition in Houston, will make his debut appearance as a full-time analyst on Saturday when he will be in the booth for the Florida State spring game in Tallahassee, Fla.
Rex Ryan is joining Sunday NFL Countdown. https://t.co/qTEcMHkvbT pic.twitter.com/FMV8byXkhD
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 3, 2017
"This is going to be a new experience for me and I am really excited about it," Ryan said in a statement. "I've been a coach for 30 years and I've been around football my entire life. I'm passionate about the game -- just like the fans are, and I've coached in the league for a long time, so that's the perspective I will bring to ESPN. I'm just going to show up and be myself and have fun with it."
Ryan was fired by the Bills with one game left in the 2016 season. He went 15-16 in two seasons with the Bills. He also coached the Jets for six years, guiding them to the AFC title game in each of his first two seasons but was unable to reach the playoffs again. He was fired by the Jets with a 46-50 record.
The outspoken Ryan went 61-66 in eight seasons as an NFL head coach as his teams frequently failed to live up to his boasts.
"Rex is authentic -- what you see is what you get, and that will be great for our viewers on Sunday NFL Countdown," Seth Markman, senior coordinating producer for ESPN's NFL studio shows, said in a statement. "We also look forward to the insight and perspective he will bring to the show as an NFL coach who has worked in the league for two decades."
