Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has set somewhat high standards for whatever job he’ll take next, and that might cancel out the New York Giants from being one of his possible destinations.
Rivera was a guest on ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter’s podcast recently, and he explained exactly what he’s looking for in his next coaching opportunity in the NFL.
“To me it would be an opportunity to coach a team that has the potential to win,” Rivera said. “There’s a lot of reclamation programs that’ll probably be in play. There’ll also be some teams I think that they’re a good draft away, a couple free agents away from being a really, really good team. That’s what I want. Because when I come back, I want to come back to win. I’m not taking a job to take a job. I’m taking a job because I believe we have a chance to win football games. And that’s what I want.”
The Giants are currently the definition of a reclamation project as they sit with a 2-11 record and are heading for a top-three draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
One of the Giants’ biggest issues is the fact that they have a young defense that hasn’t performed well this season and will need a lot of work moving forward. That could be just one of many reasons why a defensive coach like Rivera wouldn’t be interested.
After making his standards known, Rivera would have to see something in the Giants that nobody else is seeing, otherwise it’s unlikely he’d take a job with Big Blue should the opportunity present itself.
Of course, there might not even be a job to be had in New York. Head coach Pat Shurmur could beat the odds and stay on for another season despite this horrid 2019 campaign.
The Giants don’t typically like making such big changes this often, and firing Shurmur after just two seasons following the Ben McAdoo debacle would qualify as such. But given the state of things, they may have no choice.
If they do, Rivera would be a perfect fit for them. But are the Giants a perfect fit for Rivera?
[lawrence-related id=635159,635154,635112]