Getty Matt Rhule, now Carolina Panthers HC
From the moment Pat Shurmur was let go of his duties as the New York Giants head coach on the Monday following the conclusion of the 2019 regular season, Big Blue and now former Baylor Coach Matt Rhule have been linked arm in arm.
However, on Tuesday Rhule signed a massive deal to become the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers. While the Giants found their new head man in former New England Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge.
When all was said and done, the Giants and their perceived number-one head coaching candidate never even conducted a single interview together. Yet, that doesn’t mean that Rhule didn’t give New York every opportunity possible to make him their next head man in charge.
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Matt Rhule Called Giants Prior to Accepting Panthers Job
The New York Giants were scheduled to interview with Matt Rhule regarding their head coaching vacancy on Tuesday. Yet, that interview never materialized as Rhule agreed to terms on a massive seven-year, $60 million contract that can be worth up to $70 million when is all said and done.
However, before signing his name on the dotted line, Rhule, a New York native, and former Giants assistant gave Big Blue the chance to dazzle him away from Carolina. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that upon receiving his offer from the Panthers, Rhule called the Giants Brass to inform them of the offer on the table, and gave New York the opportunity to guarantee that the team would match the money offered from Carolina. If New York would have obliged, Rhule would have likely gotten on a plane to head to New Jersey and probably wouldn’t have left without a contract to become the Giants’ new head coach.
As you know now, the Giants rejected Rhule’s request, Rhule went on to sign a ginormous contract with the Panthers, and New York moved swiftly locking up Joe Judge as their next head coach.
Giants Find their Man in Joe Judge
The New York Giants hired Joe Judge as their head coach early Tuesday afternoon. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the team and Judge were in negotiations dating back to Monday night, which in return led Rhule to take the Panthers gig prior to sitting down with Big Blue for an interview.
New York Giants are finalizing a deal to make Patriots’ wide receivers coach Joe Judge their next head coach, league sources tell ESPN. Deal was in the works as of last night, which is another reason Matt Rhule took the Panthers’ HC job.
Judge may be unknown to the masses, but in NFL circles he’s revered as an up and coming coach with tremendous upside. Judge has the backing of some of the most prominent coaches in College Football and NFL history. Judge has worked under the watchful eye of Nick Saban at Alabama, and most recently under Bill Belichick in New England for the past eight seasons.
While Judge has coached under arguably the greatest NFL coach of all-time for nearly a decade, Rhule’s NFL coaching experience consists of one lone season as an assistant offensive line coach for the Giants back in 2012.
Rhule could end up being a phenomenal head coach when all is said and done. His track record for turning collegiate programs around speaks for its self. Yes, hiring Rhule would have certainly won the headlines in New York. However, the Giants may have dodged a bullet here, escaping a massive contract, and in return potentially finding a coach in Judge with the capability to get their team back to their winning ways.
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