Rob Ryan, Rams linked in conflicting reports

Five minutes. That's how long Rob Ryan said he would be out of work when Dallas Cowboys owner interrupted his Caribbean vacation to tell Ryan he was fired. Five minutes expired more than 4,100 minutes ago, but conflicting reports have emerged linking the St. Louis Rams to the ousted Dallas coordinator.

Brian Costello, a Jets beat writer with the New York Post, reported via Twitter on Friday night that the Rams had hired Ryan.

Source: Rob Ryan has been hired by the Rams as their new defensive coordinator.

— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) January 12, 2013

Subsequent reports pushed back on the finality of any agreement between the Rams and Ryan.

Made some calls on the Rob Ryan story. From what I gather he is definitely the top choice there but heard no contract with Rams just yet

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 12, 2013

TST has confirmed that the Rams and Rob Ryan have not reached a deal either. Costello later walked back his initial report.

Another source says Rob Ryan to the Rams is not a done deal.Still sounds like it will get done, but stay tuned.

— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) January 12, 2013

So what's going on? It's hard to know for sure. Reading the tea leaves, I'd say that someone in or around Ryan's camp got out ahead of themselves, sending the news to Costello. He was the guy that reported Ryan's firing in Dallas. And who knows if an agent isn't angling for something else here, leaking out a juicy tidbit about the Rams having Ryan atop their defensive coordinator big board while still trying to get another team to play ball with an offer sheet. It's that time of year.

Stay tuned.