WASHINGTON — Robert Griffin III is having surgery Wednesday on a torn ligament in his right knee — and to see if there's a second ligament that also needs to be repaired.

Baylor coach Art Briles confirmed to USA Today and The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the Washington rookie has a torn lateral collateral ligament. He said the surgery also will determine whether Griffin has damaged the ACL in that knee.

A torn LCL requires a rehabilitation period of several months, possibly extending into training camp and the start of next season. A torn ACL is a more severe injury, typically requiring nine to 12 months of recovery, although Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson made a remarkable return this season some eight months after tearing an ACL — and nearly broke the NFL's single-season rushing record.

Griffin tore his ACL in the same knee while playing for Baylor in the third game of the 2009 season and missed the rest of the year. Griffin came back to win the Heisman Trophy two years later.

Jets keep it interesting

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Rex Ryan and Woody Johnson met the media Tuesday, wearing Jets-green ties and presenting an unusually united front for a coach and owner coming off an abysmal season that produced far more in the way of turbulence than touchdowns.

The general manager is gone, along with the offensive, defensive and special-teams coordinators.

Ryan isn't going anywhere because Johnson really likes him.

More than that, "I trust him," Johnson said.

"I think Rex is perfect for the New York Jets," he said. "He is 100 percent this team."

So, basking in that comfort zone, Ryan laid out his plans for the future of the 6-10 New York Jets, speaking mostly in generalities and giving few, if any, specifics about Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.

Cowher expects a return

Bill Cowher has added a bit of intrigue to the coaching carousel, telling Newsday he probably will return to the sideline at some point.

The 55-year-old Cowher coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992-2006, winning a Super Bowl after the 2005 season. He is now a TV analyst for CBS.

He told the newspaper Tuesday the challenge of returning to coaching after a long layoff is motivation for him to come back. But he says hasn't been contacted by any of the five NFL teams hunting for a new head coach, and he isn't tempted by any of those opportunities either.

NOTES

• Sticking with their plan for an exhaustive search to replace Andy Reid, the Eagles added former Bears coach Lovie Smith to their list of candidates.

• Looking for a head coach, the Browns interviewed Marc Trestman, the current coach of the Montreal Alouettes and Cleveland's offensive coordinator the last time the Browns played in the AFC title game.

• The Chargers have contacted UCLA coach Jim Mora about their head-coaching vacancy through his representatives. Mora is likely to remain in Westwood, with UCLA boosting the pay for his assistant coaches and improving the team's facilities, people in the university's athletic department said.

• Minnesota assistants Mike Singletary and Mike Priefer will interview for the Chicago head-coaching vacancy.

• Authorities in Decatur, Ala., say Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain has bonded out of jail on charges of violating rules on car window tint and trying to lie to police about his identity.

• Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired after his injury-depleted unit struggled in a pair of season-ending losses that kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs.

• The Cardinals have chosen to stay in-house with the promotion of Steve Keim to general manager. The 40-year-old Keim has worked for the franchise for 14 years.

• The Jaguars have agreed to hire Atlanta director of player personnel David Caldwell as general manager. His first move will be deciding the fate of coach Mike Mularkey.

• Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has undergone surgery on his broken left index finger after postponing the procedure for the final three games of the season.