NFL: Coach Doug Marrone leaves Buffalo Bills by mutual consent

Doug Marrone has opted out of his contract, leaving the Buffalo Bills to search for a new head coach.

Marrone had an option in his deal, which was due to expire on Thursday, that allowed him to leave in the event of an ownership change - the Bills were taken over by local businessman Terry Pegula midway through the regular season.

He is now free to negotiate with other NFL teams and is believed to be on the radar of the New York Jets, who fired Rex Ryan on 'Black Monday' when Marc Trestman (Chicago Bears) and Mike Smith (Atlanta Falcons) were also rendered jobless.

The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers also have coaching vacancies, the latter having parted company with Jim Harbaugh - who has since taken over at the University of Michigan - last Sunday, moments after the end of their regular season finale.

"We are disappointed that coach Marrone will no longer be an important part of our organization," 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, who was born in the Bronx, was previously an offensive line coach with the Jets and their owner Woody Johnson issued a large hint he would be in contention to take over from Ryan.

"This is pretty good news," Johnson told the New York Daily News after learning of Marrone's departure.

"I was shocked. It's been a long time since I've seen Doug and I have good memories of him."