The Buffalo Bills have no interest in sticking with Rex Ryan beyond 2016 if he produces another mediocre season, according to a report.
The Bills finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs this season after Ryan came in with his usual rah-rah cliches and guaranteed the team would still be playing after Week 17. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports that Bills owner Terry Pegula sat down with Ryan and GM Doug Whaley last week and essentially put them on notice.
A team source told The News that Pegula met with Whaley and Ryan about a week ago to review the 2015 season and look ahead.
During the session, the source said, Pegula gave Whaley and Ryan an ultimatum: make the necessary fixes to get the team into the playoffs in the 2016 season or be fired.
Firing Ryan after just two seasons could be extremely costly for the Bills, as he has four years remaining on a deal that guarantees him more than $27 million. If Buffalo fails to make the playoffs again, Ryan would have a difficult time finding another head coaching job. And if he didn’t, the Bills would be on the hook for a whole lot of cash.
Pegula said in a statement last week that a “stable foundation” is critical to the success of an NFL franchise, but he is obviously not willing to be very patient with Ryan and the current regime.
The most troubling part of the 2015 season for the Bills was the obvious lack of trust between Rex and some of his players, most notably Mario Williams. Ryan’s lame excuses for why his team lost games aren’t going to work next year.
