Tom Coughlin could have his choice of NFL coaching jobs

Tom Coughlin (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports)

Tom Coughlin was inducted to the Giants’ Ring of Honor Monday night at halftime of the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants contest. This was for his excellent 12 years of service as Giants head coach, who delivered them two Super Bowl championships.

During the game, Coughlin told ESPN’s Sean McDonough and Jon Gruden that he has an interest of coaching in the NFL next year.

This shouldn’t be surprising. He never wanted to retire in the first place. If he had his way, he would still be coaching the Giants right now. He was basically fired after three straight losing seasons and four straight non-playoff seasons. He decided to accept the Giants’ retirement offer just to not make himself and that franchise look bad.

Remember, he interviewed for the Eagles job in the offseason until he decided it was not worth it since he couldn’t take any of his Giants coaches with him.

There could be several coaching vacancies in the NFL after this season. There always is when a team disappoints every season. It’s the nature of the NFL.

The Jaguars are likely going to be looking for a new head coach next season. It’s hard to believe they will retain Gus Bradley after currently being 14-43 in his four years as Jaguars coach.

The Chargers will likely fire Mike McCoy after this season. He has coached San Diego for four years with only two playoff appearances to show for it in his first season.

The Colts could be firing Ryan Grigson as their general manager and Chuck Pagano as their head coach after this season. This could be a nice landing spot for Coughlin. He can win with Andrew Luck as his quarterback.

The Jets, Packers and Steelers might be searching for a new head coach. There’s a 50 percent chance second-year Jets head coach Todd Bowles could be fired if the Jets finish the year not winning anymore games. The Packers and Steelers could be embracing change if either or both miss the playoffs.

Same can be said for the Bills and Bengals. Maybe the 49ers job becomes available if Chip Kelly decides to go back to coaching college football.

Coughlin could have his choices of what teams to coach. He could create a bidding war for his services. One has to figure a team will hire him since they are desperate to win now, and the two-time Super Bowl winning head coach can provide a boost for them.

Let’s eliminate the teams the future Hall of Fame coach won’t be coaching. There’s no way he is coaching the Bills, 49ers and Jets. Neither of those three teams have a quarterback for him to win.
It may be a cute story for Coughlin to coach the Jets, but realistically, it’s not happening. He is a Giant at heart, and it’s hard to imagine him coaching another NFL team in the same town.

This leaves the Bengals, Packers and Steelers. Those are the three teams Coughlin would be interested in. They have the talent and most importantly, the quarterback for him to win games.
The Bengals have great young talent. Their offense scores points. Their defense can be tough to deal with on any given game. The problem with them is they are not coached properly. This is a team that gets into brawls. This is a team that commits penalties. This is a team that gets outworked and outcoached.

What the Bengals could use is a coach that knows how to win on gameday. They need a coach that knows what to do. One thing about Coughlin is he will have his team ready to play. His teams will not be outworked. He knows how to lead during tough times.

The Steelers and Packers have been trending downward. They haven’t played well this season. Their defense stink. They have found ways to lose games. They are often undisciplined. It’s easy to wonder if Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Packers coach Mike McCarthy have lost their grip with the team. They have coached for a long time with their respective teams, and it may have gotten to the point where their voice is no longer heard by the players. Coughlin can relate from his time coaching the Jaguars and Giants.

The Jaguars have good young talent on defense. They have a quarterback who has the potential to be great in Blake Bortles. That’s a team that would intrigue Coughlin. Remember he coached in Jacksonville and built that football team when they were in the expansion stage in the late 90s. It would be a great way to finish a Hall of Fame career by leading the Jaguars to relevance again.

The best bet for Coughlin to be hired is Jacksonville. Fifth-year Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has been fed up with losing, and he is going to want an experienced head coach who is going to win now. Plus, he needs a head coach who the community likes. The former Jaguars coach fits the bill.

He is 70 years old, but this is not a retread coach who has lost it as coach. Far from it. He can handle the workload of being a head coach. He relates to players well. He certainly commands respect from his players. He is a football lifer that has known how to adapt with the times. His age shouldn’t scare off NFL teams.

The Giants missing the playoffs for the last four seasons had nothing to do with coaching. It was lack of talent on defense that had them absent in the playoffs.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are going to be the favorites for many team’s coaching vacancies, but Coughlin is a better candidate than those two. His two Super Bowl rings speak for itself.

It would be surprising and even disappointing if he is not coaching on the sidelines next year.