The New York Giants have reportedly hired Ben McAdoo to take over as head coach after Tom Coughlin stepped down following the 2015 season. The Giants have some major questions moving forward, including whether Victor Cruz will be able to return next season and whether the wideout will accept a pay cut after dealing with various injuries.
According to ESPN sources, McAdoo is expected to be named the next head coach for the Giants after Tom Coughlin stepped down. McAdoo will be the 17th head coach for the franchise and the announcement reportedly could come Thursday. ESPN reports that Steve Spagnuolo likely will be kept on as defensive coordinator, while Joe Philbin might be brought in as offensive coordinator. Philbin and McAdoo previously worked together in Green Bay. UPDATE: Mike Sullivan may take over as OC.
McAdoo has served as offensive coordinator for the Giants over the past two seasons and during that time it was speculated that he was considered to be the "coach in waiting" to take over after Coughlin. Now that situation has come to pass and McAdoo will get the chance to be a head coach for the first time in his career. McAdoo previously was the quarterbacks coach for the Packers before being hired as offensive coordinator for the Giants.
Eli Manning and the Giant offense has been very productive under McAdoo and by promoting McAdoo and bringing in a McAdoo connected coordinator like Philbin, the offense will have continuity moving forward. McAdoo is just 38 and would be the youngest head coach in the NFL. Manning has played very well under McAdoo the last two years, putting up 65 touchdowns and completing over 62 percent of his passes.
Manning has been cutting down on his turnovers and has praised the way the offensive has been running under McAdoo the past two seasons. According to ESPN Stats, the Giants ranked in the top 10 in points per game, yards per game and passing yards per game on offensive over the last two seasons. The team also ranked in the top five in passing touchdowns. The Giants were interested in Hue Jackson and also interviewed Mike Smith and Doug Marrone before picking McAdoo.
The Giants will need to add some talent to the roster this offseason and the team could do that through free agency and the draft. The team has a top 10 pick and according to CBS Sports, players like Shaq Lawson, Myles Jack and DeForest Buckner could be potential options. The Giants need to upgrade on defense after the way the unit performed last season and that could lead the team to pick one of those names with the 10th overall pick.
Victor Cruz likely will have to take a pay cut into next season, as the receiver has missed nearly two full seasons for the team with injuries. Cruz did not play this year after dealing with a calf injury and he has a $7.9 million salary coming to him for 2016. The Giants likely will try and get Cruz to take a pay cut over releasing the wideout.