The New York Giants on Tuesday fired Jason Garrett midway through his second season as the team’s offensive coordinator.
The move comes one day after the Giants (3-7) again struggled on offense during their 30-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Giants head coach Joe Judge was non-committal Tuesday about who would pick up offensive play-calling responsibilities. Reports earlier in the day indicated Freddie Kitchens, the team’s senior offensive assistant and former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, would be that coach.
“We’re going to handle things collaboratively in-house with the offense and we’ll kind of go on as the week goes in terms of specific roles on a game day,” Judge said Tuesday, adding that “everything’s on the table,” including the possibility he might call plays.
“Everything’s on the table in terms of the offense and how we collectively do things,” Judge said.
New York’s 18.9 points per game this season rank 25th in the NFL, while its 322.8 total yards per game are 23rd in the league. The Giants rank last in red-zone offense with touchdowns on 44.4 percent of drives that reach the opponents’ 20.
The sudden midseason ending was “certainly disappointing,” Garrett said in a statement in which he also expressed his gratitude to the Mara and Tisch families.
“One of the things that motivated me to accept this position was the opportunity to help rebuild the Giants into a contending team,” Garrett added. “We knew there would be many challenges. My expectations for our offense were much greater than what our results have been, and I accept full responsibility for that.”
Judge said a change had to occur for the good of the team.
“I have a lot of respect for Jason as a person and as a coach. He’s been a tremendous asset to me as a young head coach,” Judge said. “He’s done a good job putting the team first. … With that being said, ultimately, I’ll make every decision based on what’s best for the team long-term. I feel we have to be more productive as an offense. … I don’t believe we’re scoring enough points. It’s my job as the head coach to make sure I give our players an opportunity to go out there and make plays.”
The Giants have also seen quarterback Daniel Jones fail to progress in his development since he was selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones, 24, has thrown for 2,226 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games this season.
“This isn’t a blame game. That’s not what this is at all. I’m not looking for a head to roll. I’m not worried about external opinions or perception,” Judge added regarding the decision. “I’m very appreciative of Jason for a lot of things he’s done for us.”
Kitchens and Judge are close friends. But in a test-drive as play-caller against the Browns, Kitchens’ offense scored just six points. That cameo came last season when Garrett was out due to COVID protocols and Colt McCoy played for the injured Jones.
Garrett, 55, joined the Giants in 2020 after nine-plus seasons as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Garrett went 85-67 in the regular season with the Cowboys, but the squad reached the playoffs just three times. Dallas was 2-3 in those postseason games.
After an 8-8 campaign in 2019, the Cowboys moved on from Garrett, and he was replaced by former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
–Field Level Media
