Giants Rumors: Conflicting Reports Emerge on Jason Garrett Interview for OC Job

There are conflicting reports about the New York Giants' interest in interviewing former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

Per ESPN's Ed Werder, the Giants want Garrett to serve under former New England Patriots special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach Joe Judge, who New York reportedly hired as its new head coach Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

However, per SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, the Giants did not request to speak with Garrett about their offensive coordinator position. The original request was made for their head-coaching job before Judge was hired. 

Vacchiano noted Judge will be allowed to pick his own coaching staff.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Giants had to request permission since Garrett is still under contract until Jan. 14, even though Mike McCarthy has been hired as his replacement.

The report regarding the Garrett interview request came out after Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that the Giants' top head coaching choice, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, agreed to become the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Giants were planning to interview Garrett even before Rhule chose the Panthers, although it was initially believed that New York wanted to interview Garrett for the head coaching vacancy.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Rhule was the clear favorite and No. 1 choice for the Giants, and Garrett was only going to be considered as head coach if things were to "go sour" with Rhule.

Schefter reported Tuesday, however, that while Rhule was among the Giants' top candidates, he wasn't necessarily ahead of New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy or Judge, the latter of whom New York ultimately went with.

Since Judge is just 38 years old and has no head coaching experience, however, he could benefit greatly from Garrett's presence if the Giants decide to meet with him. 

In his 10 seasons as head coach of the Cowboys, Garrett went 85-67 with three NFC East titles and three playoff appearances. He also led the Cowboys to a 2-3 playoff record, but they never advanced beyond the NFC Divisional Round.

The Cowboys carried big expectations in 2019, but Dallas finished a disappointing 8-8 and failed to beat the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East crown, even though Philly was one of the NFL's most injury-riddled teams.

Although the Cowboys did not perform as well as expected in 2019, they were still No. 1 in total offense and sixth in scoring. Also, quarterback Dak Prescott made strides under Garrett, so he could be a good mentor for young Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

Garrett also has ties to the Giants organization, as he was their backup quarterback from 2000 to 2003, which may make the job attractive in his eyes if they want to speak with him.