Getty Jason Garrett
Jason Garrett was a final candidate for the New York Giants‘ head-coaching vacancy. Until he wasn’t.
Reports swirled Tuesday claiming New York sought to interview Garrett, who remains under contract through Jan. 14 despite Sunday’s “firing.” The Dallas Cowboys were asked for — and granted — permission to speak with Mike McCarthy’s predecessor.
The HC interview never took place, however. Minutes after the news leaked, it was confirmed that Dallas’ NFC East nemesis was hiring New England Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge to replace Pat Shurmur.
Garrett had previously been considered a “real and legitimate” suitor for the Giants, who eyed the 53-year-old for the better part of the 2010s. And the interest was mutual, as New York is Garrett’s “preferred destination” following his departure from Big D.
“What if the Giants move on from Shurmur and what if the Cowboys and Jason Garrett part ways? My understanding is the Giants have emerged as a real and legitimate potential landing spot for Garrett,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported in November. “First of all, it is his preferred destination if he can’t stick with the Cowboys. And second, back in 2014, the Giants were trying to decide should they fire Tom Coughlin. My understanding is they would have fired Coughlin if they could get Jason Garrett. Instead, he signed an extension and the Giants held onto Coughlin.”
Garrett’s checkered tenure with the Cowboys, which included six playoff-less seasons, seemingly hurt his chances of landing a lateral position elsewhere. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Dec. 30 that Garrett is in “no demand” around the league.
“It’s currently not believed that Garrett will be getting one of the various NFL head-coaching jobs in the current cycle,” Florio wrote.
There’s only one HC opening left in the NFL: the Cleveland Browns’. On Tuesday, before Judge was tapped by the Giants, the Carolina Panthers signed Baylor coach Matt Rhule to a massive seven-year, $60 million contract.
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Clarity: Giants May Want Garrett as OC
Garrett won’t chat with Giants brass about the big-seat gig, but that might never have been the plan, anyway. Plugged-in ESPN insider Ed Werder reports that Garrett will interview to potentially become the team’s next offensive coordinator — a boon for Judge and an asset for reigning first-round quarterback Daniel Jones.
“Garrett’s 10 years of head coaching experience would be important asset to inexperienced HC,” Werder wrote. “Also Garrett could develop Daniel Jones if interested.”
Garrett fits the Giants’ pattern of targeting offensive-minded coaches; like Shurmur, he was a coordinator before being promoted. But he’d be a welcome deviation. Shurmur had limited prior head-coaching experience (two years in Cleveland) whereas Garrett would bring a decade-plus of on-the-job training.
Although much of the credit should go to first-time OC Kellen Moore, Garrett oversaw the NFL’s top offense in yards per game (431.5) and the second-best passing attack (296.6 YPG), as QB Dak Prescott finished the 2019 campaign second behind Jameis Winston with a career-high 4,902 passing yards, one shy of the team’s all-time single-season record held by Tony Romo. Dallas also ranked fifth in rushing and sixth in scoring.
New York, conversely, was wholly underwhelming under Shurmur, who picked his poison between a raw signal-caller in Jones and a mummified vet in Eli Manning. The club ranked 18th in passing, 19th in scoring and rushing, and 23rd in total yards en route to a 4-12 record.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL