Mike Francesa has a plan to fix the Jets, and it includes handing Rex Ryan “unusual authority” — just not in the way one would think.
The WFAN legend weighed in on the state of the Jets and their search for a new GM and head coach during “The Mike Francesa Podcast” on Monday, boasting he could right the ship without actually lobbying to take the reigns of the franchise.
He praised the talent the Jets already have in the building and said he wants to run it back with Aaron Rodgers — under certain circumstances.
“I told you, I could build a team for the Jets right now, where I would finish completing this roster,” Francesa said. “Because it’s not a bad roster. It’s a pretty good roster. I would bring Rodgers back for one more year. I know this is not going to happen. I would put him under a veteran head coach or I would put him under a dynamic offensive coordinator mind as a head coach.
Ryan, 62, interviewed with the Jets on Tuesday in hopes of making a case to get his old job back.
But Francesa sees the last man to take Gang Green to the playoffs in a different role this time around — using Ryan’s father Buddy’s former situation with the Bears in the 1980s as a model.
“I would hire Rex and give him unusual authority where he’s not the head coach, but he’s got more than typical defensive coordinator status,” Francesa said. “I would like to see Rex recreate that job with the Jets. ‘I’ll give you money, I’ll give you a soapbox, but you’re not the head coach, run the defense. You can brag about your defense all the time, you can talk about it ’til the cows come home.’”
Ryan has continued to boost why he believes he is the best candidate for the Jets — even saying Monday during an appearance on ESPN New York’s “DiPietro & Rothenberg Show” that he will “100 percent” get the job and is the “best” person for the job.
Ryan also has the backing of longtime WFAN radio voice and noted Jets fan Joe Benigno, who told The Post’s Steve Serby he is all in on bringing the former head coach back to his old job.
