After the firing of Joe Judge, the New York Giants head coach candidates will be plentiful — but they’ll have to move with some haste.
They aren’t the only team on the market currently looking for a new head coach. Not by a long shot.
On Monday, the firings of Brian Flores, Matt Nagy, and Mike Zimmer saw the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings added to a list of teams that already includes the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders (depending on the status of interim coach Rich Bisaccia) as teams looking for new head coaches.
That’s seven teams in total, and Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch already revealed in their statement announcing the firing of Judge that a new hire for the position won’t come until a new general manager is brought on.
The Giants have certainly hit the ground running in that aspect after Dave Gettleman announced his retirement on Monday. Within 24 hours, there was a list of seven potential GM targets linked to the team.
[ALSO READ: Giants GM Dave Gettleman retires after 4 miserable seasons]
Obviously, the list of head-coaching candidates won’t come into focus until that GM is hired. But a promising market indicates that the Giants can have their pick of some promising prospects — again, as long as they get moving sooner rather than later.
Potential Giants head coach candidates
Brian Flores: The most surprising head coach to be fired so far this offseason, Flores coached the Miami Dolphins to a 19-14 record over the last two seasons after starting 5-11 with them. He garnered support for NFL Coach of the Year candidacy in 2020 with a 10-6 record and managed to win eight of his final nine games in Miami this season. He’s expected to be the hottest name on the coaching market.
Eric Bieniemy: The Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator has continuously been in the running for head-coaching jobs in recent years, but he still hasn’t been offered the chance. This offseason might finally be it as he nears the end of his fourth season as Chiefs OC. In each of those four years, his offense has ranked inside the NFL’s top six in both points scored and total yards gained — though it helps when Patrick Mahomes is your quarterback. Daniel Jones potentially presents a much different challenge.
Kellen Moore: At just 32 years old, Moore is considered one of the most gifted young offensive minds in football. The Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator called the plays for the NFL’s No. 1 offense in both yards gained and points scored and would likely provide a much stronger boost to the Giants than the last Dallas coach — Jason Garrett — who worked on Big Blue’s sidelines.
Brian Daboll: Daniel Jones possesses a similar frame and skillset — though still wildly unpolished — to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. His game has been maximized by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who has created an offensive force in Buffalo behind the dual-threat quarterback, a bruising run game, and a lethal, well-rounded aerial attack.
Byron Leftwich: A Bruce Arians disciple, Leftwich’s job as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator has been made pretty easy with the arrival of Tom Brady. However, that does not diminish the fact that he’s going to be in the conversation for head-coaching jobs. Even before the arrival of Brady, a Jameis Winston-led Bucs offense under Leftwich ranked third in the league in both yards and points scored.
Vance Joseph: A defensive coach makes the list as the Cardinals’ DC, Joseph has implemented gradual improvements to Arizona’s unit to the point where Arizona is now scratching the surface of a top-10 defense in the NFL. His chances of coming to the Giants would be slim, but if Arizona executive Adrian Wilson gets the GM job, Joseph’s chances sizably improve.
