NEW YORK — Jason Garrett could be the next offensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
Garrett, 53, the recently-fired Dallas Cowboys head coach, was in the Giants’ facility for an interview on Wednesday, the day after his Cowboys contract expired, according to the NFL Network.
Rookie Giants Coach Joe Judge, 38, is looking for head coaching experience and offensive acumen in candidates for the position. Garrett has both.
Judge also interviewed incumbent Mike Shula, 54, for the position on Monday. The Giants have had their eyes on Garrett for a long time, though. In fact, they had requested to interview Garrett as a head coaching candidate prior to hiring Judge last week.
Garrett’s late father, Jim, worked on Alex Webster’s Giants staff from 1970-73, including the final two seasons as defensive coordinator.
Jason Garrett’s own playing career began with seven years as a backup Cowboys QB, winning two Super Bowls, before joining the Giants as a backup to Kerry Collins from 2000-03.
Now his coaching trajectory could follow that same path: from 10 seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach (85-67, .559 win percentage) to a high-ranking job with the Giants.
SUPER BOWL: Veteran referee Bill Vinovich will head the crew for the Super Bowl in Miami.
Vinovich is in his 15th season as an NFL official. He previously worked the 2015 game between New England and Seattle.
Down judge Kent Payne and side judge Boris Cheek will be handling their third Super Bowl each. Also on the crew will be umpire Barry Anderson, line judge Carl Johnson, field judge Michael Banks, back judge Greg Steed and replay official Mike Chase. It will be the first Super Bowl assignments for Anderson and Chase. Johnson has done two, as have Steed and Banks.
WASHINGTON: Ken Zampese was hired as Washington’s quarterbacks coach with Ron Rivera filling out his new-look staff.
Zampese and new offensive coordinator Scott Turner are now tasked with figuring out what to do with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Rivera said Haskins and injured veteran Alex Smith would compete for the starting QB job and that it wasn’t the Ohio State product’s job by default.
Zampese was the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017 before coaching the Cleveland Browns’ quarterbacks in 2018. He succeeds Tim Rattay in the job with Washington.
CARDINALS: Larry Fitzgerald didn’t keep the Arizona Cardinals waiting for long. One of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history isn’t done yet, returning for his 17th season with the franchise that drafted him in 2004.
After some speculation that the popular 36-year-old Fitzgerald might finally retire, the team announced he has signed a one-year contact that will keep him in the desert through 2020.
In 16 seasons with Arizona, Fitzgerald is the Cardinals’ franchise leader in games played (250), receptions (1,378), receiving yards (17,083), receiving touchdowns (120), total touchdowns (120) and 100-yard games (49). His 1,378 career receptions are the most by any player in NFL history with a single team.
FORMER NFL player Steve Gleason received the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress – for his work as an advocate for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Gleason played in 83 games for the New Orleans Saints between the 2000 and 2006 seasons, emerging as a special teams leader and blocking four punts. His final block occurred against Atlanta on Sept. 26, 2006, the night the Superdome re-opened for the first time since it was heavily damaged while serving as a shelter of last resort for thousands who’d remained in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck nearly 13 months earlier.
Gleason thanked his family for their support since his diagnosis, noting to his wife, Michel, “This is not the life we imagined and it hasn’t been easy.”
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