Rex Ryan: Cowboys 'couldn't pony up the money' to hire me as DC

Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan suggested in a recent interview that he turned down the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator job this past offseason.

"I would've fixed (the Cowboys' defense) in a New York minute," Rex Ryan said on ESPN's "DiPietro and Rothenberg." "But, that being said, they couldn't pony up the money, or I would've been there."

Ryan has been working as an ESPN analyst since the Buffalo Bills fired him near the end of the 2016 season. He interviewed for the Cowboys' DC role in February before the team hired former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.

The position became vacant after Dan Quinn left Dallas to become the Washington Commanders' new head coach. Under Quinn, the Cowboys boasted a top-five defense in 2023. Three weeks into the 2024 campaign, however, the team's defensive unit has struggled, ranking 30th in points allowed and 28th in yards allowed.

"You brought in a guy that was, like, 29th in the league his last two years at Minnesota. And the enthusiasm he brings - you saw when he left he blamed the players ... that's the guy that's gonna inspire you? This can go really bad for Dallas," Ryan said of the Zimmer hire.

Ryan, 61, posted a 61-66 record across eight seasons as an NFL head coach, spending time with the New York Jets (2009-14) and Bills (2015-16). Under Ryan, the Jets built football's top-ranked defense at the time and appeared in two AFC title games.