12/31 — The New York Jets are searching for their 16th full-time head coach and their interview process will begin in earnest this weekend.

Both offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan will get their opportunities Friday. And then on Saturday, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is scheduled to visit with Jets management.

On Wednesday, Randy Lange and I got a chance to chat with Adam Schefter about the Green & White's coaching search on newyorkjets.com radio. The NFL Network reporter thought many media outlets had overreacted to the mention of Bill Cowher on Tuesday.

“There was never a chance that Bill Cowher was going to coach the New York Jets. It was all about him not wanting to coach in 2009 — nothing to do with Mike Tannenbaum or him being interested in talking to the Jets,” Schefter said.

“Bill Cowher was interested in talking to the Jets out of respect to Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum, but he was interested in talking to him just to say 'Thank you very much for you interest. I’m not interested.' ”

But rumors persist and that's commonplace once the regular season reaches a conclusion. Schefter, who covered the Broncos for the Denver Post for 15 seasons, said that Mike Shanahan hadn’t been contacted by the Jets and nothing was imminent.

“I know some people have suggested that perhaps Mike Tannenbaum would be flying out to Denver,” he said. “This is the time of the year where there is a lot of information and a lot of misinformation.”

While Shanahan is considered a workaholic, the offensive guru doesn’t have any great financial incentive to get back into coaching immediately.

“He’s trying to figure out what is the best course of action for him to take in the future. He has three years, $20-plus million left on his Broncos contract,” Schefter said. “Why is there any need to rush into anything unless it’s the absolutely ideal scenario?”

While Marty Schottenheimer might want to make a return to coaching, Schefter said his name isn’t on anyone’s “front burner” at the moment and his son will get the family’s first crack at the Jets’ position.

“He is not going to step on or get in the way of Brian Schottenheimer’s career at all. So if the Jets hypothetically interviewed Brian Schottenheimer and made the determination that they did not want Brian Schottenheimer to be their coach and they were opening up their search to other candidates at that point — perhaps Marty Schottenheimer would get involved.” Schefter said.

Stay logged on newyorkjets.com for Jets coaching information throughout the holiday weekend. We wish you and your loved ones a safe and Happy New Year.

Up Next: Rex?

The Jets late this afternoon received permission to talk with Rex Ryan, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator/assistant head coach, for their head coaching position, but no interview has yet been scheduled because, of course, the Ravens will be traveling to Miami for an AFC Wild Card Game on Sunday.

Ryan, the son of Buddy Ryan and twin brother of the Raiders' Rob Ryan, has compiled a solid defensive résumé in his 10 seasons with the Ravens. He was an assistant coach on the 2000 Super Bowl champions, and the last four seasons he's been their DC.

His defense's overall ranking has been in the NFL's top six each of those four seasons (first in 2006, second this season), his run defenses have all been in the top nine (third this year), three of his four pass defenses were in the top eight (second this year) and three of his scoring defenses have been in the top 10 (first in 2006, third this year).

— Randy Lange