Jerry Jones’ defensive woes might have been fixed long ago if the Dallas Cowboys had reached an agreement with Rex Ryan. The former NFL head coach recently revealed that he came close to joining Dallas a couple of years ago, but the two sides could not agree on the terms.
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“Jerry Jones actually tried to hire me, before, and it wasn’t this year or whatever,” Rex Ryan said on Stephan A. Smith Sports. “It’s a couple of years ago we couldn’t really come to terms, and I think that’s the deal now.”
The Dallas Cowboys interviewed Ryan for their defensive coordinator job in 2024 but hired Mike Zimmer instead. Ryan later claimed that he could have joined Dallas if the team had offered him enough money. He believed he could improve the Cowboys’ defense, but the two sides did not reach an agreement.
“I could’ve fixed [the Cowboys defense] in a New York minute,” Ryan told the “DiPietro & Rothenberg” show. “But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money, or I would’ve been there.”
Beyond the financial disagreement, Ryan also wanted the Cowboys job. He believed the team’s roster had the potential and could have done a good job.
“I think with this roster … the way it is. I think offensively, special teams, and defense … I figured I could make maybe even a little bit of an upgrade,” Ryan said on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show in 2024. “… That they could be right here [at the Super Bowl]. That’s why I was interested.”
Zimmer and the Cowboys parted ways after the 2024 season, and the Cowboys hoped for Matt Eberflus to hold down the fort on defense. We all know how that went.
The Dallas Cowboys defense ended up being the worst in the league, allowing 30.1 points per game in 2025. He was fired in the offseason and was replaced by Christian Parker, who hasn’t quite met expectations either.
The Cowboys could have landed an upgrade on defense with Ryan, who has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, including eight seasons as an NFL head coach. He began his NFL coaching career as the defensive line and linebackers coach in 1994, and built his name in the league as a defensive coach. He eventually went on to be the head coach for the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
Ryan was fired by the Bills after only two seasons with the team, going 15-16. He had taken up a career in broadcasting after he was fired, and has not coached since 2016. The Cowboys opportunity would have marked his return to the sidelines.
“I’ve been out for seven years. I’ve never called another head coach or anything like that. I called Mike McCarthy,” Ryan said on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown in 2024. “And the reason I did is because I want to be on this stage. I want to be back on this stage if I’m going to get back into coaching.”
Saad Yousuf wrote for The Athletic at the time of Ryan’s interview with the Cowboys that he could make a good choice at DC. Yousuf pointed out that then-head coach Mike McCarthy “valued” candidates with head coaching experience, but with a good defensive mindset. Ron Rivera and Mike Zimmer also fell in that same boat.
Rex Ryan managed to secure an interview with the New York Jets in 2025, this time for the head coach position. The team parted ways with Jeff Ulbrich, potentially making way for Ryan to return to his former team. After all, he was the last head coach to take the Jets to the playoffs.
However, the Jets hired Aaron Glenn, who has held on to the role so far.