BREAKING: Giants Officially Hire Pat Shurmur As Next Head Coach

The New York Giants have made it official. Former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has been named the next head coach of the Giants.

The organization will hold an introductory press conference this Friday at 11 AM EST for the 18th head coach in franchise history. Shurmur’s deal with the Giants is for five-years, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“I want to thank John Mara and Steve Tisch for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Giants,” said Shurmur. “I am looking forward to getting to work with Dave Gettleman and Kevin Abrams and starting the process to once again build a championship team.”

“I can’t wait to start working with Pat,” said general manager Dave Gettleman. “I know he will provide the type of leadership we need to take our team back to where it belongs. I have followed Pat’s career for many years, and he has had great success wherever he has been. What struck me during our conversation is that being the head coach of the New York Giants is not too big for him. He is made for this moment and this opportunity.”

Success With Vikings

Reports last week indicated that Shurmur was expected to get the job, but it would not be official until the Vikings’ season came to an end. That is what happened on Sunday, after Minnesota lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Regardless of the outcome, Shurmur picked up plenty of steam in the head coaching carousel for his work with the Vikings offense. Shurmur excelled in his work with the quarterbacks, specifically with Case Keenum. With Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford dealing with knee injuries, Keenum stepped up to the proverbial plate, and he hit a grand slam. The Houston product’s 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions helped lead Minnesota to a 13-win season and a NFC North Title.

We can also look at the development of the offensive staff, particularly wide receiver Adam Thielen, who eclipsed 1,000 yards this year. Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph also contributed in the receiving game, making the young offensive squad one of the best in the league.

“We are pleased to welcome Pat to our organization and look forward to the leadership he will provide for our team,” said co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. “He has an outstanding track record in developing young players, and it is clear his players respond to his guidance and direction. We interviewed six talented and qualified candidates, and we feel like Pat, with his vision and experience, is the right person to lead our team.”

Under Shurmur, the Vikings ranked 11th in total offense (356.9 yards/game), seventh in rushing (122.3), and 11th in passing (234.6). To get more in-depth of those statistics, Shurmur’s play calling resulted in scoring the tenth-most offensive points per game (23.9). That is helped by owning the best third-down conversion rating in the league (43.5 percent).

Shurmur’s Expected Coaching Staff

We will know more about Shurmur’s coaching staff, but we may have a sneak preview of who will join him.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that former Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is the favorite to be named defensive coordinator.

Carolina Panthers special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey is expected to join Shurmur in New York with the same position, per The Charlotte Obserever.

Previous Coaching Stints

This will be Shurmur’s second head coaching gig, as he was with the Cleveland Browns from 2011-2012, where he compiled a 9-23 record. Back in 2015, Shurmur was named interim head coach of the Eagles, after the organization fired Chip Kelly after Week 16. In his one-game stint, Shurmur would defeat the Giants 35-30.

The Shurmur era will get to an early start this Tuesday, as he and Gettleman will meet up for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama to evaluate NFL Draft prospects.