Another losing season—the third in a row for the New York Giants—has concluded, and with it, the tenure of head coach Pat Shurmur. The organization announced the termination of the two-year employee’s contract today.
The #Giants have fired coach Pat Shurmur, source says. It’s over after two years.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 30, 2019
New York Giants Fire Pat Shurmur
Hired to replace Ben McAdoo after he was dismissed in the winter of 2017, Shurmur came to New York after three years climbing the ranks with the Minnesota Vikings, leading the Purple People Eaters to playoffs in his final year. Upon his hiring, owners John Mara and Steve Tisch released a joint statement that praised his history with developing young players—a talent that was seemingly swept under the rug in Shurmur’s rookie season with the Giants, excluding inspired play by Saquon Barkley.
This season, with the drafting of Daniel Jones and subsequent benching of Eli Manning, Shurmur gifted himself an opportunity to strut his stuff. Described as a “quarterback whisperer,” Coach Shurmur has developed numerous young signal-callers to successful seasons, such as a young Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, and even Nick Foles, whom he coached as offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-2014, during the Super Bowl champion’s first stint with the team. Such fruit went unseen in Jones’ rookie year, despite a strong start. And while Jones has a proven ability to avoid sacks, Shurmur has succumbed to pressure. That 10-game losing streak sure didn’t help, either.
Shurmur has coached in the NFL since 1999, and has won seven division titles over his career in the big leagues. He now has five franchises under his belt, over the course of ten jobs. His employment with the Giants is his third in the role of head coach, after playing the role for the Cleveland Browns in the 2011 and 2012 seasons and stepping in as interim head coach for the Eagles in 2015. His experiences with the Eagles, former St. Louis Rams, Browns, and Vikings, have been in primarily offensive coordinator and offensive position coaching roles. Prior to his time in the NFL, he also worked at his alma mater Michigan State, where he played guard and linebacker positions, and Stanford.
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