Patrick Graham will be back with the Giants in 2021 despite interest as a head coach.
The New York Giants were a Philadelphia Eagles tank job away from the playoffs, and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is being showered with as much credit for this turnaround as head coach Joe Judge. While Graham was expected to consider leaving in 2021 as a head coach, he reaffirmed his commitment to Judge and the G-Men.
Despite interest from a few NFL teams, including the rival New York Jets, in making him a head coach, Graham has reportedly signed a new extension with the Giants in order to stay with Big Blue as their assistant head coach and defensive coordinator
Patrick Graham turned the Giants into a Top 10 defense
While the Giants missed out on the postseason due to the league’s 31st-ranked offense, as only the lowly Jets scored fewer points, Graham’s defense carried them to several upset wins, finishing the season ranking ninth in points allowed.
Under James Bettcher in 2019, the Giants ranked 30th in points allowed.
While the signings of James Bradberry, Blake Martinez, and Logan Ryan played a big part in the turnaround, Graham, who came over from the Miami Dolphins after 2019, became famous for using extremely complex fronts that confused opposing quarterbacks, and his schemes are one of the main reasons that this incredibly subpar offense and rookie head coach didn’t end up in contention for the No. 1 pick.
Considering that the NFC East remains as laughable a division as you’ll see in the league, the Giants making the postseason isn’t out of the question next year. Graham might be back for 2021, but it’ll be difficult for him to turn down head coaching jobs if he produces similarly exceptional results in 2021.