Joe Judge fired by Giants
The New York Giants announced on Tuesday night that they have relieved head coach Joe Judge of his duties after two seasons at the position.
“Steve [Tisch] and I both believe it is in the best interest of our franchise to move in another direction,” Giants co-owner John Mara said. “We met with Joe yesterday afternoon to discuss the state of the team. I met again with Joe this afternoon, and it was during that conversation I informed Joe of our decision. We appreciate Joe’s efforts on behalf of the organization.”
Judge’s job was initially perceived to be safe, per multiple reports, on what is normally referred to as “Black Monday” — when NFL head coaches of losing teams are fired on the day immediately following the end of the regular season.
It corroborated with reports dating back to as early as last month stating that Mara was going to retain Judge despite a difficult two years patrolling the sidelines.
The 40-year-old became the first head coach in the franchise’s 97-year history to lose 13 games in a season — the 4-13 mark following a 6-10 showing during his first year in 2020 for a 10-23 record.
“I said before the season started that I wanted to feel good about the direction we were headed when we played our last game of the season,” Mara said. “Unfortunately, I cannot make that statement, which is why we have made this decision.”
After No. 1 quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending neck injury following Week 12, the Giants and Judge did nothing to provide Mara with those good feelings he had hoped for.
The Giants lost each of their last six games while averaging just 9.3 points per outing during that span. Each of those six losses was by double-digits with the last three games featuring an offense that was held to under 200 yards each time.
The decision marks another offseason that will bring a complete overhaul to the Giants’ leadership ranks.
On Monday, general manager Dave Gettleman announced his retirement after four seasons and a 19-46 record. Whomever the Giants hire for their new general-manager role will lead the search for the team’s new head coach — which will be the team’s fourth-different one in seven seasons.
