New York Giants DC Patrick Graham signs extension with team (Report)

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has reportedly signed an extension and will remain with the New York Giants in 2021.

In terrific news for the New York Giants and their fans, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has signed an extension with the team. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the news Tuesday night.

#Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has signed an extension with the team. He will be their coordinator in 2021 and will not pursue head coaching opportunities this year.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 5, 2021

Graham could’ve very well pursued a head-coaching job in this league and was actually requested by the New York Jets to interview for their vacant position. Nonetheless, he has decided to remain with the team that hired him just last year.

Joe Judge brought Graham along shortly after he was chosen as Big Blue’s new head coach last January. The pair of individuals were familiar with one another from their past time with the New England Patriots.

Graham was arguably the organization’s best coaching hire for the 2020 campaign. He essentially turned this defensive unit around and made it one of the top groups in the league. Behind him, Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry, and star defensive end Leonard Williams, the Giants were ninth in the NFL with 22.3 points allowed per game and 12th with 349.3 average yards allowed.

The year prior, the Giants allowed 28.2 points per game (30th) and 377.3 average yards (25th).

Graham is additionally intelligent when it comes to effectively utilizing his personnel. The veteran coach took late-round rookies such as Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, and Tae Crowder (2020’s Mr. Irrelevant) and made them integral parts of the linebacking corps towards the end of the season.

The same situation occurred with the pass rush as well. Even without Lorenzo Carter (Achilles), Oshane Ximines (shoulder), and Markus Golden (traded) — three of the team’s top four edge rushers from the season’s commencement — for much of the year, the Giants still tied for 12th in the league with 40 total sacks.

It’s a fantastic move by the organization to get an extension done. Graham has a number of players on this defense he can rely on and the unit should definitely pick up where it left off in 2021.