Since we are in the NFL offseason and training camp is almost underway, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at past and present NFL athletes and coaches and where they are now.

This segment will be on former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge and how he went from being called the savior of an NFL franchise to being sent packing in just two short years.

Quick Biography: 

Joe Judge went to Lansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. He was a football player who took his talents to Mississippi State University in the early 2000’s (2000-2004) and was a three year letter winner.

After playing college football and not being able to reach the NFL level, Judge worked as a graduate assistant at his college Alma Mater from 2005-2007. He quickly rose up the coaching ladder and made a name for himself as a special teams coach.

Judge spent eight season with the New England Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick. He joined in 2012 as a special teams assistant before becoming the team’s main special teams coordinator in 2015. In his last season in New England, Judge was both the special teams coordinator along with the wide receivers coach, a rarity in professional sports. Despite having two major coaching roles, the 2019 Patriots finished the regular season with a 12-4 record before losing in the Wild Card round to the Tennessee Titans 20-13.

Judge’s special teams unit ranked among the highest across the entire NFL and his receiving corps had Julian Edelman who reached over 1,000 receiving yards and caught six touchdowns.

Both units were successful enough to land him his first head coaching role with the Giants after the season concluded. He led the Giants through the COVID-19 season where the team finished with a 6-10 record. One season later, with high hopes of improving their 2020 record and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the team finished with a 4-13 record and Judge was fired shortly after the season concluded.

“Once a Patriot, always a Patriot” is the mantra over in New England and that is exactly what occurred with Judge during 2022. He returned back to the Patriots as their offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. The offense was one of the worst in football and in Belichick’s last year, he promoted Judge to be the assistant head coach.

While Judge did not succeed as an NFL head coach, he still can be remembered as an above average special teams coordinator for the Brady and Belichick era Patriots.

Career Overview: 

• Mississippi State (2005–2007)
  Graduate Assistant
• Birmingham–Southern (2008)
  Linebackers Coach & Special Teams Coordinator
• Alabama (2009–2011)
  Special Teams Assistant
• New England Patriots (2012−2014)
  Special Teams Assistant
• New England Patriots (2015−2018)
  Special Teams Coordinator
• New England Patriots (2019)
  Special Teams Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach
• New York Giants (2020−2021)
  Head Coach
• New England Patriots (2022)
  Offensive Assistant & Quarterbacks Coach
• New England Patriots (2023)
  Assistant Head Coach
• Ole Miss Rebels (2024–present)
  Senior Analyst

Coaching Records: 

2020: New York Giants: 6-10

2021: New York Giants: 4-13

Where is he now? 

Judge currently is on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels staff as a senior analyst. He does not have a true coaching title but will help the staff with behind the scenes preparation and give advice when needed.

While this position involves him in the football world, it is still a fall from grace from the position he had with the Giants and even a few of the roles he mustered with the Patriots over the years.

Some believe one of the biggest reasons that he failed as a head coach was due to his reported personality being too polarizing. He wanted to implement the “Patriots Way”, but it did not mesh well with the players.

Not only that, he will always have to explain the reasoning behind one of the worst decisions in a professional football game that he allowed – a QB sneak on 3rd 9 on the Giants’ own goal line against the then Washington Football Team in week 18.

Here is the clip:

Ultimately, the Joe Judge head coaching experiment did not last long, but it is always interesting to see what former coaches and even players are up to years after their professional stints.