Dallas Cowboys Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become the head coach of the Washington Commanders, former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan was a candidate to replace him. And he has a pretty blunt assessment of why it didn’t work out.

During a recent interview with ESPN Radio, Rex Ryan claimed that he would have been able to fix the team’s defense and he also called out the Dallas Cowboys a little bit for not being able to “pony up the money” to hire him.

“I could’ve fixed [the Cowboys’ defense] in a New York minute,” Rex Ryan told ESPN Radio according to USA Today. “But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money, or I would’ve been there.”

Ryan did not indicate how much he was offered or how much he was seeking, but it’s clear that the Cowboys did not make him an offer he was willing to accept.

Ryan also took a pretty clear shot at Mike Zimmer, who was ultimately hired by the Cowboys instead.

“You brought in a guy that was 29th in the league his last two years at Minnesota, the enthusiasm he brings when he left, that’s the guy that’s gonna inspire you?” Ryan said. “This can go really bad for Dallas.”

The Cowboys are 1-2 this season, in part because of defensive struggles.

We’ll have to see whether or not they can bounce back.

[USA Today]