Rex Ryan reportedly told his players he heard he is getting fired

There could be a head coaching vacancy for the New York Jets this offseason.

According to FOX NFL reporter Jay Glazer, Rex Ryan told his players in a team meeting Saturday night that “word on street is that he’s getting fired.” Glazer says Ryan asked his players to fight with him for the last two games of the season.

The Jets did just that and beat the Cleveland Browns 24-13 Sunday to improve to 7-8 on the season. They have the opportunity to finish .500 when they visit the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.

News that Ryan believes he is getting fired comes as no surprise. Many thought he would be fired after going 6-10 last season, but he avoided the ax. Perhaps reaching the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons as head coach bought Ryan an extra year.

I actually think Rex has done a fantastic job this season. The Jets are devoid of talent offensively and have gotten poor quarterback play, yet they’ve still won seven games. A lot of that is due to Ryan’s good preparation with the defense.

Think about how many games the Jets have won in Ryan’s five seasons as head coach (they’re 41-38) and then think about who he’s had playing quarterback those seasons. Now tell me he hasn’t done a really good job with that team. They need a new QB, not a new coach.