The Giants and co-owner John Mara gave Joe Judge a vote of confidence less than three months ago, but after a brutal end to the season, including a bizarre 11-minute postgame rant about his vision for the team and a quarterback sneak on third and long from their own 4-yard line in the regular season finale. Judge is officially out of New York.
Big Blue’s offseason will be a pivotal one in determining the trajectory of the franchise in what has so far been a failed rebuild, but adding a new GM and head coach will make this offseason even more daunting.
In the Giants’ favor, there are some intriguing candidates to replace Judge and become the franchise’s sixth head coach since 2015, Tom Coughlin’s last season. Here are five candidates that come to mind as New York prepares for life after Judge:
Jim Harbaugh
Harbaugh reportedly has interest in returning to coach in the NFL, and with the Giants specifically, which certainly warrants a look from Mara and whoever the next general manager will be. The Raiders are reportedly his top spot if he does make the leap back to the pros, but New York could make a push for him given his reported interest.
Harbaugh received plenty of criticism as head coach of Michigan due to his inability to make the next leap and finally beat the Ohio States of the world, but he conquered that mountain this season and led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff. He also has a track record of success in the pros, leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance while winning 69 percent of his games there.
Brian Flores
The Dolphins stunned the NFL world by letting go of Flores after his third season as head coach, but with that shocker comes an opportunity for the Giants to pick up a head coach that helped Miami win eight of its last nine games. Last year, he nearly led a poorly constructed Dolphins team to a playoff berth with a 10-6 record.
Flores, a New York native, was apparently let go because of disagreements with the front office and a demanding nature to his coaching style, but that accountability could be a refreshing change for Big Blue, especially after Judge spent much of this season praising the team’s effort in postgame press conferences after unquestionably poor performances.
Patrick Graham
Could the Giants take the internal hire route and name their defensive coordinator the next head coach? Graham was part of Flores’ staff in Miami as a defensive coordinator before coming to join Judge in 2020, his second stint as defensive coordinator. He is widely liked within the organization, and while the defense took a step back this season, it was the strength of the team in 2020.
The challenge could be convincing Graham to take the job if the Giants wanted to promote him, considering his relationship with Judge. Not only could Graham not be an option for the head coaching gig, but he could leave the staff completely now that his friend Judge is gone.
Eric Bieniemy
The Giants elected to hire Judge the last time they conducted interviews for their next head coach, but Bieniemy was among the candidates who were also interviewed. Perhaps New York hired the wrong candidate in 2020? Bieniemy has a strong resume as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, although he does have some of the best weapons in the game at his disposal in Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Could Bieniemy find success with an offense so putrid this past year, or could he unlock a healthy Daniel Jones?
Kellen Moore
A familiarity within the NFC East who is currently leading the top offense in football? The Cowboys offensive coordinator would certainly be a name to consider if he is looking to take a step up to head coach.
Moore is only 33 years old, but has done a fantastic job in Dallas this season, and will be on many team’s list in their search for a head coach. The Giants would be wise to at least give Moore a look.
Other potential candidates
Doug Pederson: He won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017 and has had success leading offenses and developing quarterbacks, traits the Giants badly need given the state of the team.
Jim Caldwell: On the older side at 66 years old, but he finished with a winning record during his tenure with the Lions, which is more than enough to suggest that he can win elsewhere.
Brian Daboll: Judge wanted Daboll as his offensive coordinator, but the Bills made sure that didn’t happen. He has since continued to turn Josh Allen into a dynamic quarterback, which should interest the Giants in terms of what Daboll could do with Jones.
Josh McDaniels: Do the Giants once again go after a member of Bill Belichick's coaching staff? The Patriots offensive coordinator certainly did a fine job with Mac Jones this year...
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch