The next head coach of the Giants will be Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia or Pat Shurmur, with no surprise candidate looming, and at this point, all three are very much in the mix.
Steve Wilks, the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, did not make the cut after the first round of interviews, according to someone with knowledge of the Giants’ thinking. Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants’ defensive coordinator, and Eric Studesville, the former Broncos running backs coach and assistant head coach, are not being considered for the head-coach position.
No doubt, co-owner John Mara, general manager Dave Gettleman and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams after the initial interviews established a pecking order. Co-owner Steve Tisch attended only the interview with Wilks, and so Tisch will be involved the next time the Giants get to sit down with whoever is determined to be the No. 1 candidate.
Shurmur is a viable option for the Cardinals’ head-coaching vacancy. Patricia was once considered the favorite to land the Lions job, and still might be. McDaniels and the Colts could be a match. There is competition for all three, and the Giants likely will have to wait things out. This is a difficult time, as all three are currently involved in the playoffs and the Giants cannot simply take the next step and meet again with either of the two Patriots coordinators or with Shurmur, the Vikings’ offensive coordinator.
The NFL has a tampering rule in place prohibiting teams from hiring a coach involved in the playoffs. The rule states, “No contract shall be executed, and no agreement to execute a contract, or an announcement of a contract or of an agreement for employment, shall be permitted until after the conclusion of the employer club’s playing season.”
This rule, if not made to be broken, exists to be circumvented. If the Giants want McDaniels, Patricia or Shurmur, they can come to an unofficial agreement in the coming days — most likely after the games this weekend. Word got out last year that the 49ers decided to hire Kyle Shanahan, the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, as the Falcons were making their run to the Super Bowl. Three years ago, it was a poorly kept secret that Dan Quinn was getting the Falcons’ head-coaching job while he was involved in the postseason as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator.
Two years ago, the Giants moved quickly to hire Ben McAdoo, their offensive coordinator, when the Eagles made a move toward McAdoo for their head coach opening. This time around, the Giants will not rush into anything, as ownership understands the importance of getting this hire right.
All three remaining candidates intrigue the Giants, for different reasons. There is considerable regard for what Bill Belichick has done with the Patriots and a desire to glean some of that success by plucking one of his coordinators. The Giants are high on McDaniels’ ability to organize and direct a diverse offense and believe he would work well with Eli Manning, Davis Webb or a rookie quarterback, if they take one with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Patricia is the sort of ruffled defensive mastermind the Giants years ago saw in Bill Parcells — although Parcells did not have a degree in aeronautical engineering. Shurmur is seen by the Giants as a steadying influence and solid in many facets, someone who can get the best out of Odell Beckham Jr. and whoever is throwing him the ball.
The Giants have concerns with all three, as well. McDaniels did not perform well as a 33-year-old head coach in Denver, although there is a belief he has learned a great deal from what went down with the Broncos. There is also some trepidation that McDaniels would not be fully comfortable with the strong presence at general manager the Giants have in Gettleman. The Giants see Patricia as a potentially culture-changing head coach, but are not certain he is the CEO-type leader Gettleman says is needed in today’s NFL. Shurmur’s first head-coaching gig in Cleveland produced only nine victories in two seasons, and there is some debate about whether he is dynamic enough to handle the New York spotlight.