After a year as the Lions’ assistant tight ends coach, Seth Ryan is taking over as the New York Jets’ passing game coordinator, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports. Ryan is the son of ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan and the grandson of former Jets defensive line coach Buddy Ryan.
Set to turn 32 in March, Seth Ryan is a former Clemson wide receiver whose coaching career began with the Chargers in 2019. He spent two years on Anthony Lynn‘s staff, but the Chargers fired Lynn after 2020. With Lynn then becoming the Lions’ offensive coordinator, Ryan followed him to the Motor City. Although Lynn only held his job for a year, Ryan wound up lasting a half-decade on Dan Campbell‘s staff.
Ryan was the Lions’ assistant wide receivers coach from 2021-24, a period in which he mostly worked with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds. Unfortunately for Ryan, in his lone season with the Lions’ tight ends, starter Sam LaPorta missed eight games with a back injury.
Ryan will now take on a much bigger role in New York, where he’ll assist new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The two will aim for massive improvements to a Jets passing game that easily ranked last in the NFL in 2025. The team will head into the heart of the offseason without an answer at quarterback after big-money pickup Justin Fields flopped this past season.
Although the Jets signed Fields for a guaranteed $30M last March, head coach Aaron Glenn benched him for the rest of the year in mid-November. The Jets are expected to move on from Fields sometime soon. Journeyman backup Tyrod Taylor is slated to hit free agency, though the club is interested in re-signing him for what should be a fairly cheap deal. The Jets also have Brady Cook, but he was in over his head as an undrafted rookie.
Along with seeking a capable QB in either free agency or the draft, where they own two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 16), the Jets will need to find more weapons in the passing game for Reich and Ryan. The Jets have a legitimate star in No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson and a promising tight end in Mason Taylor. There’s little else in the cupboard, though receivers Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie did see their production increase after the Jets acquired them in trades before the Nov. 4 deadline.
As recent second-round picks (Metchie in 2022, Mitchell in 2024), the Jets may continue to hope at least one of them turns into a consistent contributor. Even if that happens, the Jets would benefit from adding more receiving talent this offseason. They have the cap space and the draft capital to make it happen.