Time will tell how the events that unfolded Monday night and spilled over into an uproarious Tuesday morning will be judged, but for now, the Giants soon will introduce Joe Judge as their new head coach and the Panthers already have heralded their hiring of Matt Rhule.

Rhule out, here comes Joe Judge.

In a whirlwind few hours, the Giants went from what they anticipated would be a sit-down with Rhule that never materialized to negotiating a deal with a relative unknown, as far as marquee status, as the next-great-hire candidate. Judge, a 38-year-old who was the Patriots’ special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach, is shockingly, the 19th head coach in New York Giants history.

Joe Judge?

Yup, Joe Judge.

Less than an hour after word came down Rhule was getting the Panthers’ head-coaching job, the Giants went to work Tuesday morning finalizing a deal with Judge as the replacement for Pat Shurmur, who was fired two years into a five-year contract. Rhule received a king’s ransom from billionaire Panthers owner David Tepper — a staggering seven-year, $62 million contract with incentives based on how much Carolina wins that could push the total value to $70 million. Rhule is now the sixth highest-paid coach in the league.

Rhule, the now-former Baylor head coach, met with the Panthers on Monday night in Waco, Texas, and was scheduled to interview with the Giants on Tuesday at their team facility. That interview never came off. The Panthers gave Rhule an offer he could not refuse. His agent called the Giants on Tuesday morning, asking if they would match the deal, without so much as a sit-down with Rhule. That was not going to happen. The Giants were not prepared to make a first-time NFL head coach the highest-paid coach in franchise history. They said no thanks and wished Rhule well.

There is no doubt Rhule greatly interested the Giants. But a new factor burst onto the scene. They met with Judge on Monday and came away extremely impressed. “Blown away’’ is an apt description, according to a source. He emerged as a serious candidate. The Giants called Judge’s agent Monday night to say how well he had done. There was no contract talk, though. But in the Giants’ minds, the bar was now set: Rhule would have to beat out Judge.

Rhule, according to a source, caught wind of this and was not about to head to New Jersey knowing he was competing with Judge for the job. He accepted the Panthers’ offer and the Giants’ decision was made for them. Judge was in line to be hired as the head coach at Mississippi State — his alma mater — but was not about to turn down the Giants.

Judge comes with the full endorsement of Bill Belichick. The Giants reached out to the Patriots coach and he sang Judge’s praises. Judge spent eight years on Belichick’s staff. During the season, Belichick would meet frequently with Judge, preparing him for an eventual bigger role with the Patriots or another team, going over the many responsibilities of a head coach. Judge, a Philadelphia native, also worked for three years with Nick Saban at Alabama. He was a part of five championship teams — three Super Bowls with the Patriots and two BCS National Championships at Alabama.

“The guy is rock-solid,’’ said a source who worked with Judge on the Patriots. “He’s a grinder. He’s going to be demanding like Saban, works like Belichick, all that, but he’s his own guy. I don’t think he’s going to be a media darling, but I think he’s going to be very professional in everything he does. Smart as hell.’’

The unusual dual role for Judge — coordinating the special teams and working with the receivers — is an indication of how much regard Belichick has for him. Judge was handed the receivers this past season by Belichick after Chad O’Shea left to run the Dolphins’ offense.

The Giants are keenly aware the youth on their roster required a certain type of head coach. Rhule, a program-builder at Temple and Baylor, intrigued them greatly. And so did Judge, once they met him. They do not view him as the traditional hot coordinator with no head-coaching experience, likening him more to John Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator who continues to do big things as Ravens head coach. The Giants also are aware Belichick embarked on his NFL coaching career as their special teams coordinator. The Giants, hopefully, also understand the Bill Belichick tree has not exactly sprouted strong coaching limbs — though former assistant Bill O’Brien (Texans) and former Patriots player Mike Vrabel (Titans) still have their teams alive in the playoffs.

Staffing was always going to be a big issue for any new head coach, as the Giants were not happy with the assistants Shurmur assembled. The Giants will allow Judge to hire his own staff. Whoever gets the nod as offensive coordinator will be entrusted with the continued development of quarterback Daniel Jones. Judge, while with the Patriots, worked with former Giants linebacker Pepper Johnson, who could be a consideration as a defensive assistant.