New York Jets fire Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik

Rex is no longer in effect in New York.

The Jets made the inevitable move official on Monday, firing Ryan after six seasons as the head coach of the team. The Jets also fired general manager John Idzik after just two seasons. The team announced the moves on Monday morning.

There were undeniable highs during Ryan’s reign as coach, as he reached the AFC championship game in his first and second seasons (2009 and 2010). But Ryan never led his team to a record better than .500 in four seasons thereafter.

Despite entering the 2013 season with a career head coaching mark over .500, Ryan’s overall regular-season record fell to 46-50 by the end of this season, even with a 37-24 win in his final game on Sunday. New York went just 4-12 this season. But Ryan’s Jets went 4-2 in the postseason under his watch.

Jets owner Woody Johnson issued a statement Monday morning:

I am beginning our search for new football leadership, effective immediately, with guidance and support from respected football experts, including Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, two Super Bowl winners with decades of valuable experience.

We will consider all options to improve the Jets.

Getting the Jets back on track is my top priority, and today’s decisions are important steps towards achieving our goals.

Much of the problem for the defensive-minded Ryan in his Jets career — other than peaking early — was that he never had a quarterback he fully trusted. Mark Sanchez fell out of favor, Tim Tebow never earned his trust, Geno Smith struggled the past two seasons, and Michael Vick couldn’t reclaim his past glory.

Even though Ryan’s defenses were typically strong — all six of his Jets teams finished in the top 11 in terms of yards allowed — the offenses never got consistent footing. The Jets ranked in the bottom six of the NFL in points scored and turnovers each of the past three seasons.

Ryan’s bombastic and cocky personality hurt him near the end of his tenure. The New York market that ate up the son of coaching legend Buddy Ryan early on rejected Rex’s bravado as the losses started piling up the past few seasons.

The disconnect with Idzik grew the past few seasons, especially in terms of building the team’s roster, and Jets owner Woody Johnson just ran out of patience. The talent assembled by Idzik was poor by NFL standards, he left more than $20 million in spendable salary-cap space this season and the team slipped badly.

It’s easy to forget about those good times, and that Ryan is roundly respected by his peers. Just ask New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, with whom Ryan locked horns and often frustrated over the past six seasons.

And in those AFC title games, Ryan’s Jets had chances to win both times. The Jets led Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts in the second half in the 2009 season's AFC championship, and the Jets stormed back from a 24-0 deficit to lose 24-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers the following season.

But Ryan couldn’t get over the hump. Near the end of this season, Ryan spoke wistfully about one day winning a Super Bowl, as his father once did as a defensive coordinator.

It won’t come with the Jets, but he should have his share of offers to work again. It’s believed that Ryan — if he doesn’t take a TV analyst’s job for a year or two — could have head coaching opportunities this year or next. Perhaps some Super Bowl-caliber team could convince him to run their defense for a year as a way to refurbish his coaching résumé.

The Jets, meanwhile, could take standard operating procedure and go with an offensive-minded coach as a way to kick-start one of the league’s least explosive offenses. Johnson has brought in multiple advisers to help guide him through the next phase of the team, and it wouldn’t be stunning to see the owner make a big play to lure a talented and proven head coach to run his team.

Related video: Shaun King's take on the firings

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm