With Pat Shurmur officially gone, the New York Giants are going big-game hunting. Matt Rhule and Josh McDaniels are at the top of the list.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Baylor head coach Matt Rhule stand out as prime candidates for the New York Giants head coach job. Schefter also reports that the Giants have already asked for permission to interview McDaniels.
The Giants’ interest in McDaniels isn’t new. They showed interest in him in 2018 as well, interviewing him for the head coach job that eventually went to Pat Shurmur.
McDaniels went on to accept a head coaching position with the Indianapolis Colts, but quickly rescinded his acceptance of the job and returned to the Patriots. McDaniels refused to take any interviews in the 2019 hiring cycle.
McDaniels has prior head coaching experience, having coached the Denver Broncos from 2009-2010. Other than his short stay in Denver and a one-year stop with the St. Louis Rams as a coordinator, he has worked under Bill Belichick since 2001. He is often considered one of the brightest offensive minds in all of the NFL. Hiring him would likely be seen as a boon for Daniel Jones and his development.
The other prime candidate, Matt Rhule, is the hottest name on the coaching carousel this offseason. Rhule nearly landed a head coaching job with the New York Jets in 2019, but a reported disagreement over his coordinators led to the deal falling through.
This season Rhule led the Baylor Bears to an 11-2 record with both of his losses coming against Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma. That’s an amazing accomplishment for someone who took over at Baylor three seasons ago when the program was in shambles.
Baylor’s former head coach Art Briles was fired amid sexual assault charges. The program lost nearly all its recruits, and it was one of the worst teams in the Big 12. In Rhule’s first year at Baylor, the club went 1-11.
To have them at 11-2 and a top-10 team in the country just three years later is remarkable. It’s that unbelievable ability to turn around a program that has caught the attention of NFL teams.
Rhule also has connections to the Giants. He was the team’s assistant offensive line coach in 2012. He took over as Temple’s head coach in 2013 and never looked back.
