Bill Belichick To Jets? ESPN Segment Backs Rex Ryan Into Awkward Spot

ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” crew on Sunday took a unique approach to discussing Bill Belichick’s future after leaving the New England Patriots.

And it led Rex Ryan down an awkward path.

Ryan, Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi and Alex Smith took turns spinning a wheel — which featured all 32 NFL teams — to determine where Belichick might land this offseason. Of course, some teams have head coaches firmly in place — Moss landed on the Andy Reid-led Kansas City Chiefs, for instance — but that was part of the exercise: to determine whether the franchise would be better off with its current coach or Belichick.

Ryan spun the wheel first and landed on the New York Jets, the team he coached for six seasons from 2009 to 2014. The Jets, of course, have Robert Saleh at the helm, and Ryan believes New York should stay the course despite failing to post a winning record in each of Saleh’s first three seasons.

“I’m gonna say no. Why? Because Belichick will see after one day that I am not gonna coach the Jets. So, no,” Ryan said, after the initial on-set hysteria died down. “You know what? I’m gonna tell you this right now: Bill Belichick, yeah, you’re pretty good. Six Super Bowls and all that — 10 trips to the Super Bowl. That ain’t bad. But 29-37 since (Tom) Brady left? No. We’re gonna keep Robert Saleh. Why? You’re only as good as your last game (and) he kicked your butt.”

Ryan, of course, was referring to the Patriots’ season-ending loss to the Jets, in which New England mustered up just three points at snowy Gillette Stadium. It was an anticlimactic end to Belichick’s tenure in Foxboro, which speaks to the overall need for the Patriots to move on and start fresh with Jerod Mayo.

As for the Jets, well, it’s hard to imagine Belichick ending his rivalry with that organization and taking his talents to the Meadowlands. A team like the Dallas Cowboys or Atlanta Falcons might be a more suitable destination.