Jets hire Ryan after Ravens' loss

NEW YORK -- The New York Jets are confident Rex Ryan was worth the wait.

The Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator was hired Monday as New York's coach, three weeks after the Jets fired Eric Mangini following a late-season collapse.

"We got the right man for the job," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement.

It became apparent the 46-year-old Ryan was at the top of the Jets' list of candidates when several other teams filled their coaching vacancies and New York's remained open. The Jets needed Baltimore's season to end -- which happened Sunday with a 23-14 loss at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game -- before offering him the job.

Ryan, the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL," Ryan said in a statement. "Coming here to the New York Jets, where my father once coached and was part of the Super Bowl III staff, is fantastic. I look around at the facilities and the people they have in place and see a first-class organization. I'm just proud to be part of it."

The Jets announced the hiring, but released no other details. The contract is for four years, a person with knowledge of the deal said.

The deal was finalized Monday afternoon after Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum flew down to Baltimore in the morning to iron out the details, Jets spokesman Bruce Speight said.

Ryan takes over a team that started 8-3, but missed the playoffs with quarterback Brett Favre after losing four of its last five games.

This will be the first head coaching job for Ryan, who is said to be well liked among his players because of his straightforward, no-nonsense style.

Ryan also interviewed for the St. Louis Rams job that went to Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

The Jets interviewed at least five other candidates, including offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan, Arizona assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm, Indianapolis defensive coordinator Ron Meeks and fired Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski.

Whether Ryan will have Favre on his roster this season is unclear. The 39-year-old quarterback recently said he would take several weeks before deciding whether to return. Favre said he was disappointed with how his first season ended with the Jets, throwing nine interceptions in New York's last five games. He also tore a biceps tendon in his right arm that won't require surgery.

Johnson and Tannenbaum have said they want Favre back, but added the new coach would have significant input on the final decision.

Ryan, who spent 10 seasons with the Ravens, was the only remaining defensive assistant from Baltimore's 2000 Super Bowl team. He spent six years as the Ravens' defensive line coach before being promoted to coordinator.

The Ravens fired coach Brian Billick and his entire staff, including Ryan, after the 2007 season. Ryan interviewed for the job that eventually went to John Harbaugh, who rehired Ryan and added the title of assistant head coach.

McGahee recovers

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ravens running back Willis McGahee is expected to make a "complete recovery" from a fierce helmet-to-helmet hit in the AFC championship game that saw him carted off the field.

McGahee returned to his Baltimore home Monday after spending the night in a Pittsburgh hospital recovering from Sunday's collision with Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

The play occurred in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 23-14 victory.

-- The Associated Press