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Rob Ryan could leave New Orleans Saints to join Rex Ryan with Atlanta Falcons

By Josh Hill

Oct 5, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rob Ryan is safe in New Orleans but his brother, Rex Ryan, getting a job in Atlanta may change that in an ugly way. 

Earlier this season it was rumored that the New Orleans Saints were looking at a change on their defensive staff as tensions boiled between head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. At one point, it appeared that Ryan would likely be forced out of a job in the offseason, but things have seemingly simmered down significantly since then.

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That’s actually saying a lot, as ‘since then’ in in reference to events that happened just a few weeks ago when the Saints were losing their way out of the postseason against the Carolina Panthers. According to NOLA.com, the Saints will not be getting rid of Rob Ryan, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to spend the 2015 season on New Orleans’ sideline.

Rex Ryan is in contention for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, and if he is offered and takes the position it is believed that he may try to poach his brother off the Saints staff an put him on his own.

The reasons for this are far less brotherly than you may want to believe and would have much more to do with Rex Ryan not wanting to coach against his brother’s defense in the same division. If this ends up happening — and that’s a massive if — it could turn the NFC South upside down and blow things up in New Orleans.

Defensive changes are already slated to come across the board both on Sean Payton’s staff and the roster he has assembled. Losing Rob Ryan to a division rival would throw the team into further chaos and put even more pressure on Payton to fix things in 2015.

Rob Ryan staying in New Orleans out of loyalty to Payton isn’t a sure thing either. He was the Rams defensive coordinator for all of five whole seconds before he left to take a job with the Saints. There are conflicting reports as to whether Rob Ryan left the job or was even offered it in the first place, but the bottom line is he has technically had three defensive coordinator jobs in the last two years and could add a fourth job to that resume if he takes a position on Rex Ryan’s staff in Atlanta.

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