rex ryan john idzik woody johnson

It's starting to look like Jets owner Woody Johnson (right) is going to fire head coach Rex Ryan (left) and general manager John idzik (center). (Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

When word got out this week that Jets owner Woody Johnson was prepared to hire Charley Casserly as a consultant, the understanding was that Johnson would do so only if he were to make changes within the organization.

It's now safe to say Johnson is moving ahead with making changes within the organization.

Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NJ Advance Media late Friday night that Casserly already has begun contacting prospective replacements for head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik, who both figure to be fired after Sunday's season finale in Miami against the Dolphins. The two people spoke on a condition of anonymity because neither was authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

This news comes on the heels of a report that appeared Friday on the Jets' team website that trashed many of the moves Idzik had made in his two years as GM.

Ryan has not yet been informed of his fate, a person familiar with his thinking said. But that same person also said Ryan had learned Casserly was contacting other coaching candidates, and that Ryan had already cleared out his office at One Jets Drive.

The situation is a bit like what happened toward the end of the 2013 season, when Ryan got word that Idzik—then in his first season as the Jets' GM—had begun reaching out to potential head coaches. Ryan responded by giving a fiery speech to the team the night before its next-to-last game of the year. The Jets then closed out the season by beating the Browns and Dolphins to finish 8-8, and Ryan got to keep his job.

But this time, with the Jets circling the drain at 3-12, Ryan appears to have accepted the inevitable.

Casserly, the former Washington and Texans GM, was tapped as a Jets consultant because he sits on the NFL's Career Development Advisory Panel, which the league formed late last year to assist teams with finding front-office help. Numerous reports say Casserly has reached out to another panel member, former Packers GM Ron Wolf, to assist with making whatever changes the Jets have coming.

Staff writer Jordan Raanan contributed reporting for this story.

Dom Cosentino may be reached at dcosentino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @domcosentino. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.