Rex Ryan reportedly passes up Falcons, signs deal with Bills

Rex Ryan will not be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan is reportedly signing a five-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, as reported by Adam Schefter this morning.

The Falcons interviewed Ryan last week, and he was believed to be one of the frontrunners for the job. Buffalo swooped in overnight and pulled the trigger, though.

The offer from the #Bills to Rex Ryan came late last night, source says. There was a thought the #Falcons would jump in. They did not.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2015

Rex Ryan was tempted to wait on #Falcons, but #Bills situation is excellent for him. Just needs a QB. Just.

— Jason Cole (@JasonPhilCole) January 11, 2015

It's interesting that the Falcons did not try to up the ante. They're still working on interviewing head coaches, so they must want to see what the rest of the candidates have to offer.

**UPDATE: The Falcons did not schedule a second interview. Ryan apparently did not want to wait around.

Rex Ryan's top choice was the Falcons. Made sense for his family too. However, ATL never scheduled 2nd interview. #nyj

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) January 11, 2015

Rex Ryan ultimately didn't feel like Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff was in his corner despite a productive 1st interview. #nyj

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) January 11, 2015

Atlanta is still going through the interview process. Todd Bowles was reportedly interviewing with the Falcons yesterday. Josh McDaniels remains in the mix as his team is still fighting for a Super Bowl title, and it's entirely possible that Thomas Dimitroff and Scott Pioli's interest in him led to Ryan's vibe from that interview. Dan Quinn is another coach said to be in the mix who is still in the playoff hunt.

Ryan heading to another team without a quarterback is surprising. He's basically in the same situation he was with the Jets several years ago. Buffalo's defense ranks among the top in the league, but they have no one to run the show on offense.

This could've been you, Rex.

Who are you hoping becomes the head coach of the Falcons now?