True to his boisterous, brazen brand, Rex Ryan is fully convinced he’s the next head coach of the New York Jets. That’s right, even before he officially interviews for the job Tuesday at Florham Park.

In a cocksure interview on ESPN New York on Monday, the former Jets coach and current ESPN TV analyst predicted that will land the job and also promised to immediately change the team’s causal culture. Ryan boasted that he was a dramatically better candidate for the job that Detroit Lions’  hot prospect Ben Johnson and admonished both the former staff and quarterback Aaron Rodgers for their approaches this season.

 

Rodgers, who took every meaningful snap in the 5-12 season, missed part of minicamp last June to vacation in Egypt. Coach Robert Saleh, who was fired early in the season, called it an “unexcused absence” and fined Rodgers $100,000.

“I think that’s an absolutely ridiculous message you send to the team,” Ryan said. “If (Rodgers) comes back, things would be different. If he’s back, it ain’t gonna be the country club, show up whenever the hell you want to show up. That ain’t gonna happen. I’ll just leave it at that.”

While Rodgers is non-committal about a return to the Jets, Ryan sounds raring to go.

He will meet with team brass in Palm Beach, Florida, where owner Woody Johnson has a home. In his first stint as Jets’ head coach 16 years ago, Ryan went 46-50 in six seasons and led them to back-to-back AFC Championship Games.

He was fired by Johnson after going 4-12 in 2014, but he has maintained a good relationship with the owner.

“The reason I think I’m going to get it is because I’m the best guy for it. It ain’t close,” Ryan said. “The thing you have to do is, you have to connect with your football team, you have to connect with your fan base. The way they play, that’s the most important thing. It’s not just the Xs and Os and all that. This Ben Johnson, I love him, I absolutely love him, but I’m a better candidate for this job than he would be.”

After firing Saleh on Oct. 8, the Jets named Jeff Ulbrich interim coach. They have already interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and veteran NFL coach Ron Rivera, and submitted requests with four offensive coordinators, three defensive coordinators and two quarterback coaches.

Asked if he was confident about getting the job Ryan said, “Oh, 100 percent, absolutely, I do.”