Friday's NFL: Giants reportedly hire Garrett as offensive coordinator

New York — Jason Garrett is headed to the other side of the Giants-Cowboys rivalry.

A person with direct knowledge of the decision says New York is hiring the former Dallas coach to be Giants offensive coordinator.

The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday night because the team did not immediately announce the move.

ESPN first reported the hiring of Garrett by the Giants to join new coach Joe Judge’s staff.

Garrett was told Jan. 5 he was not being brought back by the Cowboys after coaching the team for the previous 9½ seasons. He took over in Dallas as the interim coach when Wade Phillips was fired halfway through the 2010 season and went 87-70, including the playoffs.

The 53-year-old Garrett had the club’s second-longest tenure behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Tom Landry.

Dallas finished 8-8 for the fourth time under Garrett this season. The Cowboys opened 3-0 before dropping eight of 12 and losing control of their playoff fate. Dallas missed the playoffs six times in Garrett’s nine full seasons.

His contract was expiring with the Cowboys, who instead turned to Mike McCarthy as coach.

Garrett wasn’t out of a job for long as Judge made his highest-profile hiring since joining the Giants on Jan. 8. Garrett gives Judge, a first-time NFL head coach, a veteran assistant on his staff.

The Cowboys had the league’s top-ranked offense this season, averaging 431.5 yards per game with quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott leading the way.

With the Giants, Garrett will be tasked with helping develop quarterback Daniel Jones, who showed lots of promise in his rookie season after taking over from Eli Manning as the starter. Jones threw for 3,027 yards and a franchise rookie record 24 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 13 games, including 12 starts.

Garrett also inherits running back Saquon Barkley, who dealt with a high ankle sprain early in the season but came on strong at the end and finished with 1,003 yards rushing — reaching the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year to begin his career – and six touchdowns. He also had 52 receptions for 438 yards and two TDs.

Garrett had several NFL stops as a player, including four seasons with the Giants as a backup quarterback from 2000-03. He began his NFL coaching career as Miami’s quarterbacks coach under Nick Saban in 2005 and became Dallas’ offensive coordinator in 2007.

Jags to interview Linehan

The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to interview former Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan for their offensive coordinator job.

Linehan is scheduled to meet with coach Doug Marrone this weekend. Linehan was out of the NFL the past year after getting fired by the Cowboys following the 2018 season.

Marrone interviewed former New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo on Thursday. McAdoo wants to get back into the league after a two-year hiatus.

The Jaguars are looking to replace fired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who lasted one season. Jacksonville ranked 20th in total offense and 26th in scoring under DeFilippo. The Jaguars really struggled in the red zone and on third down.

Marrone is searching for someone to pair with second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew, who is expected to start over veteran Nick Foles. The Jaguars also need a quarterbacks coach after Scott Milanovich left to become head coach of the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos.

Linehan and McAdoo have plenty of play-calling experience. Both also have been head coaches in the NFL, which could give them a chance to succeed Marrone if Jacksonville doesn’t end its losing ways. Owner Shad Khan has indicated that Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell are facing high expectations in 2020, likely putting the entire staff in a win-or-else situation.

Linehan has spent time with Minnesota (2002–04), Miami (2005), St. Louis (2006–08), Detroit (2009–13) and Dallas (2014-18).

McAdoo started with New Orleans in 2004 and then worked in San Francisco (2005), Green Bay (2006–2013) and the Giants (2014–2017). He was on former Giants coach Tom Coughlin’s staff in 2014-15 and replaced Coughlin in 2016.

The Jaguars fired Coughlin, the team’s executive vice president of football operations, in mid-December