San Francisco 49ers: 5 Big Name Head Coaches to Replace Harbaugh

3. Rex Ryan

Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

After six seasons with the New York Jets, Rex Ryan was a victim of “Black Monday,” after a 4-12 campaign in 2014. His tenure in the Big Apple started out with two consecutive playoff appearances, but his next four proved to be full of distractions, disappointment, and underachievement.

Ryan is known to be one of the most brilliant defensive minds in the NFL. Despite the lack of success in the standing for his teams in the last four years, Ryan has never coached a Jets’ team that ranked below sixth in defensive rating.

His lack of offensive coaching ability is the main culprit for his losing seasons. In his first two years with the Jets, he emphasized a run-heavy offense, in which the Jets ranked first and fourth respectively in the league in rushing yards. However, his lack of offensive creativity caught up to him, and it led to him getting canned.

As the 49ers look to unlock the abilities of Colin Kaepernick and the offense, Ryan is likely not the best candidate for their head coaching vacancy.

Next: Candidate #4