It appears Baylor won't need to enter the market for a new coach this winter. The New York Jets had reportedly been showing interest in Bears coach Matt Rhule for their opening, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted Wednesday night that Rhule had texted his coaching staff to let them know he was "staying in school."
Reports had surfaced Wednesday afternoon that Rhule had interviewed with the Jets and was "in the mix" for the job.
Rhule has only been at Baylor for two seasons. He was hired before the 2017 season after posting consecutive 10-win seasons at Temple in 2015 and 2016. After going 1-11 in his first season with the Bears, Baylor improved to 7-6 this past season and defeated Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl.
While Rhule's spent nearly his entire coaching career at the college level, he was the assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants in 2012 under Tom Coughlin. He left that post after just one season to take over at Temple. This is the second offseason in row in which Rhule has been tied to potentially leaving Baylor for a head coaching opportunity in the NFL, reportedly turning down an offer from the Indianapolis Colts around this same time last year.
