Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's Giants connections keep him tied to Big Blue
Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham watches practice during minicamp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J. on Wednesday. Credit: Brad Penner
Patrick Graham is back for his second year as defensive coordinator of the Giants.
For a little while this offseason there was a chance he would not be. Graham’s name was bandied about as a candidate for several head coaching jobs. The Jets even reached out to the Giants to request an interview for their vacancy. Rather quickly, though, Graham put the issue to rest and signed an extension with the Giants.
Why?
"To me, this is my dream job to be here as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants," he said on Wednesday. "I'm just happy to be here. I don't know, it's nothing against them or anything. I'm just happy to be a New York Giant."
Graham cited his long links to the organization, going back to his early coaching days at Notre Dame where he became friendly with Tim McDonnell, who is now the team’s co-director of player personnel (and co-owner John Mara’s nephew). He also spent time with the Giants as a defensive line coach under Ben McAdoo, and worked in New England under Bill Belichick, whose roots have always been tinged by his Giants experiences.
"A lot of my mentors, the people that I learned football from, had connection with the New York Giants," Graham said. "That's important to me. I happen to be here working with one of my friends, Joe Judge, and I've got a great group of guys to work with and a great group of coaches and players. I mean, these guys, our coaches on defense, these guys are top-notch. Who wouldn't want to have that work environment? That's why I like it."
As for the future, well, Graham isn’t closing any more doors as quickly as he and the Giants slammed the one shut in the face of the Jets this past January.
"I love coaching football, I love being a teacher that happens to teach football," he said. "You know, everybody in their profession likes a natural progression. If it comes up one day, it comes up one day. But is it the focus of my life? Absolutely not."
Saquon isn't thinking contract
The main impediment to Saquon Barkley being on the field with the Giants when training camp begins in late July remains his rehab from a torn ACL and not any potential contract dispute with the team.
The running back has two years left on his rookie contract after the Giants exercised their option for 2022, and this is typically the time in a career when players seek extensions and contemplate holdouts. Co-owner John Mara said earlier this spring that he would like Barkley to be a Giant for life but the team is "not in any hurry" to forge a new deal with him as he returns from his injury.
Barkley, who has been rehabbing with the team this offseason, has shown no indication he intends to force the team’s hand on that matter.
"Hearing the owner come out and speak to my longevity with the team, that means a lot," Barkley said. "It’s a special place to be. It’s an honor and a privilege to call myself a Giant."
Barkley didn’t completely rule out his willingness to hold out or his desire for a new contract. He said those are conversations he will have with his agent. But outside of those talks, he said, those issues are "not even something that is crossing my mind."
"For me right now, my main focus is to come in here every day, work my butt off, and try to get as ready as I can so whenever I’m able to get back out there I’m at 100% and able to perform to the best of my ability," he said.
Five and (a lot of) dimes
When the NFL changed its rule allowing wide receivers and defensive backs to wear single-digit numbers this offseason, Jabril Peppers was among the first Giants to perk up. The problem for him was that the number 5 he wore at Michigan belongs to kicker Graham Gano. With minicamp almost completed, Peppers continues to wear 21.
"Way too high," Peppers laughed regarding Gano’s asking price.
Negotiations, however, may continue for the rest of the offseason.
"I tried but he's not budging," he said. "You know, I'm thinking about hanging it up. I still probably got a month to try to see what I can do, try to swing him my way. But at the moment, it's not looking too good."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
