Rex Ryan says he’s confident the Jets will hire him as their next coach

FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, who is scheduled to interview for the team’s head coaching job on Tuesday, is confident he will get the job.

When it happens, he says he will put an end to “Country Club” Aaron Rodgers.

Appearing on ESPN New York Radio Monday Morning, Ryan reprimanded the future Hall of Famer for skipping the team’s mandatory minicamp last June to vacation in Egypt. He also criticized the organization’s “disastrous” leadership for condoning this.

“Obviously, when you have a guy who doesn’t show up to mandatory minicamp – and he’s your quarterback coming off an injury, by the way – that’s an absolutely ridiculous message that you’re sending to the team said during a spot on “The DiPietro & Rothenberg Show.”

“If he comes back, things would be different. When he comes back it won’t be at the country club, show up whenever you want. That won’t happen. “I’ll just leave it at that,” Ryan said.

Rodgers, who blamed his absence on a scheduling error, was fined around $100,000 by the Jets for missing minicamp. Then-coach Robert Saleh called it an unexcused absence, although he wasn’t particularly critical of the four-time MVP. Rodgers, 41, is still undecided about his future and says he will take time to think about it.

Ryan, who campaigned for the Jets job, will meet with team executives in Palm Beach, Florida, where owner Woody Johnson has a home. The meeting will come nearly 16 years after his first interview with the team when he moved from the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator to the Jets’ head coach in January 2009.

He posted a 46-50 record in six seasons and led the Jets to the playoffs and back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010, the franchise’s final postseason appearances. He was fired by Johnson after going 4-12 in 2014, but he maintains a relationship with the owner.

“The reason I think I’ll get it is because I’m the best person for it. It’s not even close. The thing you have to do is you have to connect with your football team, you have to connect. The way they play is the most important thing. It’s not just the Xs and Os and all that, I love him, I love him, but I’m a better candidate for this job than he would be.

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The team has already interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera. The Jets have also reportedly submitted interview requests for at least four offensive coordinators – Arthur Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers), Bobby Slowik (Houston Texans), Joe Brady (Buffalo Bills) and Matt Nagy (Kansas City Chiefs). The Jets are also expected to submit requests for at least three defensive coordinators – Aaron Glenn (Detroit Lions), Vance Joseph (Denver Broncos) and Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings) – and two quarterbacks coaches – Josh McCown (Vikings) and – Brian Griese (San Francisco 49ers – Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The ever-confident Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, expects to get the job.

“Oh, 100 percent, absolutely, I do,” he said. “The reason I think I’ll get it is because I’m the best person for it. It’s not even close. 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 is the most important thing.

“It’s not just the X’s and O’s and all that. This Ben Johnson, I love him, I absolutely love him, but I’m a better candidate for this job than he is.”

The Lions’ offensive coordinator is one of the hottest candidates on the market, but he is not expected to interview with the Jets, sources said.

Ryan said the current Jets “are not lacking in talent.” He blamed the 5-12 season on a “lack of organizational leadership,” pointing to the coaching staff. Saleh was fired in October, followed by general manager Joe Douglas in November.