AT LEAST ONE coach on the hot seat is staying put.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson announced after the team's 20-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins yesterday that Rex Ryan, who has 1 year remaining on his contract, will return next season. The decision ended several weeks of speculation.
It was not immediately clear if Ryan will coach through his existing deal or be given a contract extension. Neither Johnson nor general manager John Idzik would discuss details related to Ryan's contract.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns fired coach Rob Chudzinski after one season, which started promising but ended with a seven-game losing streak.
Chudzinski had only been in place since Jan. 11, when the Ohio native and lifelong Browns fan was hired for his dream position by owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner. The Browns started 4-5, but collapsed in the final 2 months and the organization decided last night to cut ties before heading into a second season with Chudzinski.
Cleveland ended its season with a 20-7 loss in Pittsburgh. The Browns dropped 10 of their last 11. Chudzinski had plenty to deal with as a rookie coach, including an unsettled quarterback situation.
Other coaches are on shaky ground, but none as shaky as Washington's Mike Shanahan, who has battled publicly on the status of franchise QB Robert Griffin III and has all but challenged owner Daniel Snyder to fire him.
Besides the feuding, Shanahan's team finished 3-13, losing the last eight games, including yesterday's 20-6 thumping by the New York Giants.
Shanahan, 61, refused to address his future after the game. He plans to meet with Snyder today. "We've been talking about this for a few weeks now and we'll get a chance to talk [today] and I'll share that conversation with you," Shanahan said.
Other coaches whose jobs are on the line are Detroit's Jim Schwartz and Minnesota's Leslie Frazier.