NEW YORK -- Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum will be together at least five more years, hoping to deliver the Jets a Super Bowl championship.
The Jets signed the bold and brash Ryan to a two-year contract extension Friday, and gave the wheeling-and-dealing Tannenbaum a five-year extension -- keeping the coach and general manager with the franchise through the 2014 season.
The team announced both deals two days before it reports for training camp in Cortland, N.Y., although Tannenbaum's extension was signed last month.
Revis, Jets talking
The Jets and Darrelle Revis' agent have recently discussed a possible short-term solution
to their contract impasse, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora. **More ...**
"Our franchise is heading in the right direction and I believe that continuity is important," Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. "Mike and Rex have demonstrated the passion, commitment, and expertise to get us to our ultimate goal: winning a Super Bowl."
Ryan received his extension after only one season as coach, leading the Jets to a 9-7 regular-season record and within one game of the Super Bowl. When Johnson hired Ryan in January 2009, it was with the hope that the new coach could bring a new identity to a franchise lacking one.
Ryan certainly delivered the moment he opened his mouth for the first time at his introductory news conference, declaring that the Jets would meet President Barack Obama someday as Super Bowl champions.
Ryan hasn't stopped since, again saying this offseason that his team is bound for a title. The son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan installed a defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL last season -- just as he said it would -- as well as a winning attitude.
While Ryan's sometimes outrageous statements have annoyed some around the league, they also have helped make the Jets an entertaining team. So much so, that HBO and NFL Films deemed them intriguing enough to feature on "Hard Knocks" this summer.
Tannenbaum, the Jets' general manager since 2006, also has a lot to do with the attention the team has received. He has earned a reputation as one of the league's most active GMs, bringing in big stars such as Brett Favre, LaDainian Tomlinson, Thomas Jones, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie.
Tannenbaum, who has been with the organization since 1997, also has made several shrewd draft selections that have become core parts of the team, including Mark Sanchez, Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and David Harris.
Tannenbaum also has made tough -- and sometimes unpopular -- decisions over the last few years. Those have included releasing popular quarterback Chad Pennington to make way for Favre, cutting Jones after he rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards, releasing Pro Bowl left guard Alan Faneca and trading the versatile Leon Washington, who was coming off a serious knee injury but was one of New York's most valuable offensive weapons.
This has been a particularly busy offseason for Tannenbaum, one in which the Jets always seemed to be in the news. Whether it was trading for Holmes and Cromartie, signing Tomlinson or parting with popular veterans, Tannenbaum has been unafraid to take chances.
Tannenbaum also is in the midst of contract squabbles with Revis and Mangold, with both publicly acknowledging their unhappiness with the ways talks have gone. Harris also is looking for an extension.
With camp set to open Sunday, it is unclear if Revis -- wanting to become the highest-paid cornerback in the league -- will report on time. Mangold has said he will be there, despite still wanting a new deal.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
