Rex Ryan has been looking to get his, ahem, foot back in the NFL door since he was fired by the Buffalo Bills in 2016.
Well, he reportedly has taken that all-important first step. (We could do this all day.)
FOX Sports' Jay Glazer on Sunday morning reported that Sean Payton recently interviewed Ryan for the Broncos' defensive coordinator vacancy. The update is newsworthy for the New England Patriots, who are scheduled to visit Denver next season.
"A little Sunday morning scoopage," Glazer tweeted. "New Broncos head coach Sean Payton (interviewed) a surprise candidate this week to be his defense coordinator, ESPN's Rex Ryan."
The Patriots have a long history with Ryan, who led the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills to a 4-12 regular season record against Bill Belichick. Ryan's last game against New England came in 2016 when the Bills suffered a 41-25 home loss to the Patriots.
The 60-year-old has been out of the NFL since being fired by Buffalo but has enjoyed a successful career as one of ESPN's NFL analysts.
