ESPN’s Rex Ryan says he might have taken Cowboys DC job but they ‘never ponied up’

Longtime NFL head coach turned ESPN NFL analyst Rex Ryan has been away from coaching since 2016. On Tuesday, he admitted just how close he came to taking the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator gig this offseason.

Ryan was a guest on the DiPietro & Rothenberg Show on ESPN New York, where he discussed the Cowboys’ struggles on the defensive side of the ball thus far this season. He was asked directly if he could fix their defense if he were the team’s defensive coordinator instead of Mike Zimmer, answering the question with an emphatic yes.

“One hundred percent,” said Ryan. “I would have fixed it in a New York minute. But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money or I would have been there. So they never ponied up and that’s why I stayed here (at ESPN).”

It had been reported in February that Ryan interviewed for the role on Mike McCarthy’s staff and even refuted an ESPN report on Zimmer’s hire while still in the mix.

Since then, Ryan has been quick to rip the Cowboys’ defense publically, calling them “hot garbage” this past Sunday on Sunday NFL Countdown.

Later on in the conversation, Ryan turned his attention to Mike Zimmer, criticizing Dallas for hiring him.

“You brought in a guy that was like 29th in the league his last two years in Minnesota,” said Ryan. “And the enthusiasm he brings… You saw when he left, he blamed the players and said ‘I’m not gonna talk to them’. That’s the guy that’s going to inspire you? I don’t know, this could go really bad for Dallas. Now look, their schedule sets up pretty well for them. But this could go really bad for them.”

We don’t know just how close Ryan got to becoming the Cowboys defensive coordinator, but he clearly still feels like he could have done a better job than Zimmer and will likely spend the rest of the season reminding everyone, especially if Dallas continues to struggle.

[DiPietro & Rothenberg Show]