Giants to hire Patriots assistant Joe Judge as head coach

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Another coaching domino fell, and the New York Giants are next in line to land their new head coach.

The Giants are finalizing a deal to hire New England Patriots special teams coordinator and wide receiver coach Joe Judge to be their new head coach, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the USA TODAY Network. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not complete.

ESPN was the first to report the news.

Judge, 38, has been a part of five championship teams with the Patriots and the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has been on New England’s staff the last eight seasons, where he was the special teams coordinator for four years. Then, after former offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea left the Patriots after the 2018 season to become the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, Judge also took on O’Shea’s old position of wide receivers coach.

More: Meet 38-year-old set to become new coach of New York Giants

The Giants had launched an extensive interviewing process that has included Dallas Cowboys defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy. The last name on that list, though, agreed to become the new coach of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, just one day after the team officially announced that it would move on from Jason Garrett.

The former Cowboys coach, however, has drawn the Giants' interest as a potential offensive coordinator under Judge, and the team requested to interview him for the position, according to ESPN. Garrett is still under contract with the Cowboys through Jan. 14.

The Giants also had been scheduled to interview Baylor's Matt Rhule on Tuesday, but the coach instead agreed to a deal with the Carolina Panthers.

New York is replacing fired former coach Pat Shurmur, who went just 9-23 in two seasons with the team.

This leaves the Cleveland Browns as the only team left with an open head coaching vacancy.