Buffalo Bills Coach Doug Marrone Resigns, Jets could be Interested

Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has decided to opt out of his contract and will be entering free agency. Rumors have circulated that the New York Jets could be interested in acquiring the coach.

"We are disappointed that Coach Marrone will no longer be an important part of our organization," Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. "We thank him for all of his hard work and leadership during his tenure and wish him and his family the best with the next chapter in their lives. We will now begin the important process of conducting a thorough search for a new head coach as we continue to strive to reach our goal of returning to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans"

Marrone signed a four-year contract in 2013. In the contract, he had an opt-out clause that could be used if the Bills changed ownership, which they did when Terry and Kim Pegula bought the team in October. Sources are reporting that Marrone ultimately decided to leave the organization due to potential changes in management. There were rumors that Pegula wanted to bring Bill Polian in to oversee football operations.

Marrone will get his guarantee 2015 base salary worth $4 million. This salary will not interfere with the salary he will agree on with another team.

Teams that are currently on the hunt for a head coach are the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Sources believe that the Jets have a very strong interest in Marrone, who served as the Jets' offensive line coach for four years under Herm Edwards.

"I just found out Doug Marrone is available. We will look at him," owner Woody Johnson told The New York Daily News. "He is a coach who was with us. And I know him a little bit. It's been a long time since I've seen Doug, and I have good memories of him."

The Bills finished 9-7 this season, which is the team's best record since 2004.