The season barely reaches the rearview mirror and the Giants have already signed a significant deal to take them to the New Year.
Patrick Graham, the defensive coordinator and assistant coach who won praise from his players and denied points for opponent attacks, is not going anywhere. He signed a contract extension and the team announced late on Tuesday that Graham had decided not to consider the head coach opportunities for 2021.
The Jets, just a day after firing Adam Gase, approached the Giants, asking for permission to interview Graham for his managerial role. There are five other spots and Graham may have attracted another interest. Graham ended all consultations and will return for a second season to further strengthen what was by far the most powerful unit on the team.
Graham, a coordinator for just two years – he ran the show in Miami for the Dolphins in 2019 – was considered an unlikely candidate for a head coaching position, but Joe Judge was also when he came out of seemingly nothing to get the Giants job there one year. It only takes one team to fall in love.
A team has already fallen in love with Graham and that team manages to maintain the relationship.
“Yes, it worked! Now it will be much easier to find Pat, ” linebacker Blake Martinez tweeted after seeing the news about Graham standing still.
Earlier in the day, Martinez was not feeling so excited, contemplating the possibility of losing Graham to another team.
“It’s one of those bittersweet things,” said Martinez. “I’m like, ‘Okay, Pat.’ I’m kind of that Stage 5 clinger girlfriend. I’m like, ‘You can’t leave me. I will find you. ‘But no, I’m excited for him. He’s an extremely intelligent trainer, an extremely incredible trainer, and I’m happy for him. ”
If Graham had an official fan club, Martinez would be the president, treasurer and chief recruiter. They worked together in Green Bay in 2018 and Graham was a big believer that Martinez could be the centerpiece of a defense, lobbying him to hire a free agency. Martinez finished third in the NFL with 151 tackles, and is in the midst of the Giants’ defense.
Logan Ryan, the security veteran whose versatility allowed Graham to use him in a variety of roles, calls Graham “Black Picasso”.
The Giants went 6-10 and were led by a defense that finished 12th overall in the NFL and improved from 30th in 2019 to ninth in the scoring defense, allowing for 22.3 points per game. The Giants were the second best in the league in defense of the red zone. Despite not having a feared edge rusher, Graham managed to tie for the Giants to 40 sacks, tied for 12th place in the league.
Graham was the defensive line coach for the Giants in 2016 and 2017, hired by Ben McAdoo. Graham’s personality came to the fore this season as perhaps the most reliable sounding board for Joe Judge, the first-year coach.
Graham said he explains who the closest coaching allies are with this: “When we go to the combine, who do I have dinner with? Invariably, it was with Judge, who worked with Graham in New England on Bill Belichick’s team.
“I am attracted to people who are better than me,” said Graham.
Last week, while preparing for the end of the season against the Cowboys, Graham was asked about “his defense”. He didn’t let that go. “Our defense,” he said. There is no ego problem with Graham, an Ivy League product prone to fixing anyone who says he played for Yale. “I was on the Yale team, ” he says.
The Giants wanted to keep him on their team, although Judge didn’t bother anyone, of course.
“I probably expect a series of requests from several of our coaches throughout this off-season,” said Judge. “We will deal with this internally when they arise. ”
The Giants dealt with this internally by sweetening and extending the Graham deal. The Chargers asked permission to speak with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett about his opening as head coach.
For now, any aspiring head coach for Graham will be pushed into the future.
“I think he would do a good job,” said cornerback James Bradberry. “Coach Graham is a very, very smart guy. I know he went to an Ivy League school too. His football knowledge, his football IQ, is above many guys I live with. I wish him the best if that happens. I think he would be a good candidate. ”
He is no longer a candidate. The Giants took care of that.