Although the Giants fired head coach Joe Judge following the conclusion of the regular season last month, it did not take long for him to find another gig in the NFL.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Judge is heading back to New England to become an offensive assistant for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Before landing the Giants’ head coaching job in January of 2020, Judge spent eight seasons on the Patriots’ coaching staff from 2012 to 2019. Judge joined the Patriots as a special teams assistant in 2012, before getting promoted to special teams coordinator in 2015. Judge served in this role for the remainder of his time in Foxboro, and was given the additional responsibility of wide receivers coach in 2019.
As a first time head coach, Judge, 40, went 10-23 across two seasons with the Giants, which led to his dismissal in January of 2022. Although Judge’s job was initially believed to be safe in early-December, the Giants finished the season on a six-game losing streak, ultimately sealing his fate.
Now, instead of joining his former staff mate, Josh McDaniels, who was recently hired to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Judge will go back to New England to reunite with Belichick.
Judge signed a five-year, $5 million deal in 2020, and the Giants will have to payout the final three years of his contract.
Another Failed Disciple
When the Giants took a chance on Judge, they knew they were taking a big risk, considering a number of previous members from the Belichick coaching tree had failed as head coaches in the NFL.
Judge has become the latest disciple of Belichick to come up small when given a head coaching opportunity, but he’s still young and has the chance to rebuild his value.
While Judge has jumped right back into coaching in the NFL, he will serve as an offensive assistant, as opposed to reverting back to his previous level as a coordinator.
Another ex-Giants head coach, Ben McAdoo, was the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 and an offensive consultant for the Dallas Cowboys last season, which led to his second chance as an offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers.
Following the 2022 season, Judge will likely have the option of becoming a special teams coordinator once again, if and when an opportunity opens up around the league.
An Additional Reunion
Speaking of reunions, backup quarterback Davis Webb has officially rejoined the Giants.
Webb, who was once pegged as Eli Manning’s successor, will return to the Giants to compete for their No. 2 quarterback spot behind Daniel Jones.
Although Webb was offered a co-quarterbacks coach position with his previous team in the Buffalo Bills, he felt that he still has some football left in him, which is why he followed his assistant GM, Joe Schoen, and former offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, to New Jersey.
Webb, 27, was selected by the Giants in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Webb spent his rookie season as a backup to Manning, and had an impressive preseason showing in 2018. However, he was cut prior to the 2018 regular season.
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Ex-Giants HC Joe Judge Lands New NFL Coaching Gig: Report