Judge let go after just two seasons as Giants head coach

The New York Giants have cleaned house, firing coach Joe Judge a day after general manager Dave Gettleman retired.

The Giants announced the move late Tuesday afternoon, ending some brief speculation that the owners planned to hire a new general manager and let him determine the 40-year-old coach’s fate.

Judge posted a 10-23 record in two seasons, including a 4-13 mark this past season. The campaign ended with a six-game losing streak in which the offense did almost nothing with quarterback Daniel Jones sidelined with a neck injury.

Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said they felt it was best for the Giants to move in another direction after five straight seasons of double-digit losses.

The Giants have made the playoffs once since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. They have gone through four coaches in the past six seasons, starting with Ben McAdoo in 2016, interim coach Steve Spagnuolo, Pat Shurmur in 2018 and Judge who was hired in 2020.

“I said before the season started that I wanted to feel good about the direction we were headed when we played our last game of the season,” Mara said. “Unfortunately, I cannot make that statement, which is why we have made this decision.”

A former special teams coordinator with the Patriots who was mentored by Bill Belichick in New England and by Nick Saban at Alabama, Judge promised to bring a tough, hardnosed brand of football back to the area. It was the kind of football Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin taught in building four champions.

There was no doubt the Giants played hard under Judge. They never gave up. They just didn’t win enough, especially this season which was marked by at least a dozen season-ending injuries.

Judge did seem to unite the Giants. There was little dissent. He repeatedly said he was changing the attitude and that would be a part of the process to build a winner.

BROWNS EXPECT MAYFIELD TO REBOUND >> Baker Mayfield didn’t lose his starting job after a losing season.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team expects the quarterback to return as its starter next season and rebound after an injury-filled, subpar 2021 that raised questions about Mayfield’s future with Cleveland.

Mayfield tore a labrum in his left shoulder in Week 2, but continued to play while wearing a harness. The injury contributed to him playing poorly and contributed to the Browns (8-9) missing the playoffs despite high expectations. He’ll have surgery on Jan. 19.

Berry said the team is confident Mayfield will “bounce back.”

“We’re looking forward to Baker getting healthy in the offseason, and then having the type of season we know he can have moving forward,” Berry said.

Part of the rationale for sticking with Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, is the team’s familiarity with him, knowing his work ethic and his past success in coach Kevin Stefanski’s system, Berry said.

The Browns have already exercised Mayfield’s $18.9 million contract option for next season, but have yet to discuss a long-term extension with the QB, who led them to the postseason and a playoff win in 2020.

He went 6-8 as a starter this season with 17 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.