Tom Coughlin Reportedly to Join NFL's Football Operations Department

Former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin reportedly isn't stepping away from the game of football entirely this coming season.

ESPN's Jim Trotter reported Wednesday that Coughlin will join the NFL's football operations department.

Coughlin stepped down as Giants coach in January after 12 seasons and two Super Bowl victories.

In February, Coughlin, 69, hinted at how he didn't necessarily embrace the idea of retirement. He couldn't even utter the word in full in a Fox and Friends interview, per NJ Advance Media's James Kratch:

"

It's a very difficult thing, I don't care who you are, or how long you've been doing it. I've been doing it a long time, so you get yourself into the rhythm. Your whole life, the calendar of your life is based on football, about the seasons, whether it's in-season or out of season. You have a schedule that you follow. So there's some adjusting for me to make. ...

... I'm not ret ... I don't like that word. I'm way too young for that.

"

Coughlin is as qualified as anyone to make the transition from the sideline to the league office. His immense experience and football acumen should be an asset no matter what his role entails.

Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith reported the football operations department handles issues such as communication with players and coaches, rules and officiating.

Few in the game today know how to reach players better than Coughlin, who had an eight-year tenure as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach before taking the job in New York. His coaching peers are bound to be open to him as well. Trotter said Coughlin is "widely respected."

A return to coaching is always a possibility for Coughlin, but perhaps a year away and a league office job will be enough to fill the void. He can re-evaluate his options after the 2016 campaign and could well be in the running for another coaching gig.