Bills name Rex Ryan new head coach

The Buffalo Bills officially announced the hiring of Rex Ryan as their next head coach.

The five-year deal was agreed to in principle early Sunday, finalized later in the day and announced by the Bills on Monday for Ryan to become the 18th head coach in team history.

“Following an extensive search, we are pleased today to announce that Rex Ryan is our new head coach,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “Rex brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position that we feel will be a tremendous benefit to our players and the entire Bills organization. He was very impressive during the interview process, as were many of the candidates to which we spoke, and we feel Rex is the best fit for our team. We look forward to his leadership and expertise in directing our team to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans.”

Ryan first interviewed with owners Terry and Kim Pegula on Thursday, and was brought back for a second interview Saturday at the Pegulas’ Boca Raton, Fla., home.

Ryan, 52, will reportedly earn a salary of $5.5 million per year and complete an extensive coaching search for the Bills, who interviewed 12 candidates since Doug Marrone opted out of his contract on Dec. 31.

CBSSports.com reported Ryan had begun assembling a coaching staff and that San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman will be his first hire. Roman and Ryan worked together with the Baltimore Ravens.

Ryan joins the Bills after spending the last six seasons as the head coach for the New York Jets. This year will mark Ryan’s 19th season in the NFL.

Ryan and general manager John Idzik were fired on Dec. 29 after the Jets missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Ryan had a 46-50 record with the Jets. In his first two seasons with the team, 2009 and 2010, the Jets advanced to the AFC Championship Game each season. Over the past four seasons, New York finished 8-8 twice, 6-10 and 4-12.

Prior to joining the Jets, Ryan coached on the Ravens’ defensive staff. In 2000, he served as the defensive line coach for the Super Bowl XXXV champion Ravens. Ryan spent his final four seasons in Baltimore as the defensive coordinator.

The Bills went 9-7 this past season and finished with a winning record for the first time since 2004. They haven’t made the postseason in 15 years, the longest active drought in the NFL.

The Bills would like to keep Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator. The defense ranked fourth in the NFL and had a league-leading 54 sacks in 2014.