Earlier this week, Giants owner John Mara said he plans to talk to coach Tom Coughlin about a contract extension that would “hopefully” keep Coughlin on the Giants sideline past the 2014 expiration of his current deal.
Coughlin certainly sounds amenable to such an arrangement. During an interview with Ian O’Connor for ESPN Radio in New York, Coughlin said that he can’t think of a reason why he wouldn’t want to keep coaching well beyond the 2014 season as long as both he and his wife are healthy.
“I certainly do, and I’m blessed with good health and good energy and a routine that I think puts me in the maximum opportunity to stay healthy,” Coughlin said. “The other issue, of course, is Judy. If Judy’s healthy, and so on and so forth, and we both feel good about continuing ... then no doubt will we feel that way.”
In many cases, major changes to a coach’s staff signal added pressure on the head coach in the coming season. The Giants have overhauled their offensive staff, but the extension talk from Mara makes it clear that there’s no such implication for Coughlin.
Given the length of the working relationship and the obvious desire on both sides to keep things just as they are, it’s hard to imagine that the talks between the team and the coach won’t end with an agreement that allows the 67-year old Coughlin to coach past his 70th birthday.