Rex Ryan named new Bills coach

Jan 12, 2015 - 11:06 PM Orchard Park, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The Buffalo Bills made it official Monday and named Rex Ryan their new head coach.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports Sunday indicated Ryan had agreed to a five-year deal worth about $5.5 million per season.

Ryan will remain in the AFC East after spending the last six years as head coach of the New York Jets. He was fired after a 4-12 mark this past season and guided the Jets to a record of 46-50 during his tenure.

"Following an extensive search, we are pleased today to announce that Rex Ryan is our new head coach," said Bills owner Terry Pegula in a statement Monday. "Rex brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position that we feel will be a tremendous benefit to our players and the entire Bills organization. He was very impressive during the interview process, as were many of the candidates to which we spoke, and we feel Rex is the best fit for our team. We look forward to his leadership and expertise in directing our team to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans."

Ryan had success in his first two years with the Jets, leading the franchise to the AFC Championship Game after each season. However, the Jets never had another winning season over his last four years.

The Bills finished 9-7 this past season, their first winning record since a similar mark in 2004, but head coach Doug Marrone decided to opt out of his contract. He exercised a clause that allowed him to do so when the franchise was sold from the Ralph Wilson Trust to Terry and Kim Pegula in October.

Marrone was 15-17 in his two seasons with the Bills, who have not reached the playoffs since 1999 but can build upon one of the NFL's top defensive units from 2014.

Ryan is a defensive-minded coach, having spent four seasons as defensive coordinator in Baltimore before taking the job with the Jets.