Giants Reportedly Hire Patriots Special Teams Coach Joe Judge as Head Coach
By Adam Weinrib
The New York Giants are plundering from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, but not exactly from the leaves in close proximity to the Hoodie himself.
Just a few minutes after reports emerged that the G-Men intended to speak with Jason Garrett for their head coaching vacancy, word leaked that they had, in fact, locked down Patriots special teams and wide receivers coach Joe Judge to be their new head man.
The #Giants are hiring #Patriots ST coach and WRs coach Joe Judge, source said. He just informed Bill Belichick.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 7, 2020
Judge had a reported job offer from his alma mater, Mississippi State, to become their head coach, but it turns out he and the Giants were negotiating in the dead of night on Monday, long before Matt Rhule was ever scheduled to come to town.
Obviously, it appears to be the case that Judge impressed Giants brass, a group that's been... impressed by all the wrong people in recent years. He does have attractive connections to the most successful programs across the pro and collegiate level, nabbing BCS titles in 2009 and 2011 with Alabama and tasting glory with the Patriots in 2014, 2016, and 2018.
Clearly, the Giants were happy enough with his credentials to decline the chance to match Matt Rhule's monstrous deal in Carolina.
One note on the #Giants: Matt Rhule called them before signing his 6-year deal with the #Panthers and gave them the opportunity to match and lure him to get on the plane. They declined and hired Joe Judge instead.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 7, 2020
Is Judge the answer? None of us could possibly have any idea. But he's not a sentence to a decade of mediocrity like Garrett would've been, which should soothe any wary G-Men fan.