Coughlin gets NFL gig /
Tom Coughlin is not the retiring type.
Without an NFL team to coach for the first time in 13 years, no one really expected Coughlin to pack up and head to Florida for a life of leisure. Coughlin turns 70 on Aug. 31, but he is staying in and around football. A source confirmed he has been hired by the NFL’s football operations department. ESPN was first to announce the hiring.
Following the 2015 season, Coughlin stepped down before he was dismissed by the Giants, as ownership opted for change after the team suffered through its third consecutive losing season and fourth straight year out of the playoffs. Coughlin had been the Giants’ head coach for 12 years and before that shepherded the Jaguars through their expansion days to the brink of the Super Bowl. Coughlin won two Super Bowls with the Giants.
The NFL’s football operations department is overseen by former player Troy Vincent. It deals with rules and officiating, and serves as a liaison between the league and its coaches and players regarding on-field issues.
Coughlin first arrived in the NFL in 1984 as an assistant coach with the Eagles and forged a reputation as a respected and trusted figure in the league, making this hiring far from surprising. He was a member of the Madden committee, comprised of head coaches, providing feedback and suggestions to the league’s competition committee.
After an emotional departure from the Giants, Coughlin dabbled in coaching again, listening to the Eagles and 49ers, but neither was the right fit for him.