Former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has declined being involved in the Essendon coaching process, as the club looks to find its third leader this decade.
The Bombers approached Lyon to gauge his interest in being a full-time coach, but quickly found that he is happy where he's at in the media landscape and real estate.
The 55-year-old currently has roles at Triple M and appears on Channel Nine's Footy Classified.
Speaking on Triple M with AFL.com.au's Damien Barrett, Lyon said that he couldn't see himself at Essendon.
"Off the bat, I said 'look, I don't feel it's the right fit for me, but can you just explain what it is?'," Lyon said.
"Sometimes it's just ... it wasn't vibing. There was no vibe.
"I am a million per cent out."
It was understood that 'high-profile' Essendon players wanted the 55-year-old to come into Tullamarine and assert his experience on the group.
“There’s a group of players at Essendon who want Ross Lyon to take control of the club," SEN's Sam Edmund reported.
“The feedback I’ve been given is some of the big names in that playing group want a strong hand and someone to really come in and take the bull by the horns and Ross Lyon would obviously be that man.
“With Ross Lyon, he is the guy who I’m told the players want. But how much saw would the playing group realistically had?
“(The other question) is whether Ross Lyon will subject himself to the process.”
Lyon last coached in 2019 for the Dockers, after taking over back in 2012.
He took the club to its first ever AFL Grand Final, only to lose to Hawthorn in 2013 by 15 points.
In 2015, Fremantle claimed its first ever minor premiership and looked like making second grand final in three seasons, but the side were downed by the Hawks once again.
This success wasn't out of the ordinary for Lyon, who took St Kilda to back-to-back grand finals in 2009 and 2010 losses.
Essendon will now look for their 34th coach in its history, after sacking Ben Rutten following a poor 2022 season.
Rutten, who was only at the helm since 2021, failed to replicate the finals appearance in the previous season.
The Bombers won seven games this year, resulting in major changes across all departments, including the departure of Xavier Campbell, Paul Brasher, Simon Madden, Peter Allen and Sean Wellman (once replacement is found).
This was the ripple effect of not signing Alastair Clarkson, who opted to go with North Melbourne instead.
