Sources: Ben McAdoo close to deal to become Giants' coach
Ben McAdoo, one of the internal favorites to replace Tom Coughlin, is closing in on a deal to become the 17th head coach in New York Giants history, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday night to ESPN.
An announcement could come as early as Thursday.If McAdoo gets the Giants' head-coaching job, Steve Spagnuolo would be retained as the team's defensive coordinator, a league source told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is among the favorites to join McAdoo's staff as offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN. McAdoo and Philbin worked together inGreen Bayunder Mike McCarthy.
McAdoo has been the Giants' offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, his only two seasons as a coordinator. He never has been a head coach.
McAdoo has earned praise for his work with quarterback Eli Manning, who has thrown 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions and completed 62.8 percent of his passes the past two seasons.
"Excited for Coach McAdoo," Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara said in a text to The Associated Press. "I figured him or Spagz [Spagnuolo] would have been a great pick. I'm sure his players and the fans are all excited."
McAdoo, 38, would be the NFL's second-youngest coach. Adam Gase, the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator who was hired by the Dolphins, is 37.
McAdoo also interviewed last week with the Philadelphia Eagles for their head-coaching job, and their interest might have helped him strike a deal with the Giants, who think very highly of him and probably didn't want to risk losing a potential future coaching star to a division rival.
The Giants have been seeking a replacement for Coughlin, who resigned last week after coaching them to two Super Bowl championships in his 12 seasons in New York.
Assuming the deal is finalized, McAdoo will have beaten out a field that included former NFL head coaches Mike Smith and Doug Marrone, as well as Spagnuolo and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
In addition to those men, the Giants also interviewed Gase, and they expressed interest in Hue Jackson, who was hired Wednesday to coach the Cleveland Browns after declining to fly to New Jersey to interview with the Giants for their job.
McAdoo joined the NFL in 2004 as an offensive quality control assistant with the New Orleans Saints, spent a year with the49ersthe following year and then joined the Packers for the next eight seasons, working with the tight ends and the final two years as Aaron Rodgers' quarterbacks coach.
The Giants hired him in 2014 to replace Kevin Gilbride, and his version of the West Coast offense -- and the addition of Odell Beckham Jr.-- has helped revive the offense.
The Giants had the NFL's eighth-best offense in terms of total yards and ranked sixth in the league in total points this past season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
