Raiders Rumors: Former Giants HC Joe Judge Eyed as Special Teams Coordinator

The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly have interest in Joe Judge as their special teams coordinator, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. 

Judge spent the past two years as head coach of the New York Giants but was fired after compiling a 10-23 record. He spent the previous eight years with the New England Patriots, serving as the special teams coordinator from 2015-19. 

He provides familiarity with new Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, who was the Patriots offensive coordinator for the past 10 seasons.

Las Vegas also hired Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator after he spent the past two years in the same role in New York under Judge.

The connections to the coaching staff and past experience in the role could make Judge an ideal fit for Las Vegas. 

Even when things were going poorly for the Giants, the special teams didn't suffer. According to ESPN's Football Power Index, New York's special teams were neutral in 2021 while the offense and defense were a negative compared to the rest of the league. 

The special teams coordinator role could be especially important for the Raiders after the job was held by Rich Bisaccia the past four years. The well-respected leader became the interim coach last season after Jon Gruden retired, leading the team to the playoffs with a 7-5 record at the helm.

Bisaccia will reportedly join the Green Bay Packers staff for next season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.