A number of potentially awkward factors could drive defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to leave the Giants, according to a league source.
Graham’s interview Friday to be the Raiders’ defensive coordinator was about real interest in landing the position, not just due diligence or gaining contract leverage. That complicates the Giants’ announced plan to have Graham return in the role he held for the last two seasons.
Teams typically can deny requests such as this one for an assistant coach under contract to interview for a lateral move. Because the Giants granted Graham permission to interview as Steelers defensive coordinator earlier this offseason, however (before Brian Daboll was hired as head coach and expressed his interest in retaining Graham), they cannot deny requests from any other teams, according to a different source.
Graham could’ve turned down the Raiders’ request on his own, but a lot has changed since last offseason, when Graham said no thanks to interviewing for the Jets’ head-coach opening. He chose then to accept a raise and a contract extension, staying loyal to the Giants and then-head coach Joe Judge.
The situation now is different: Judge was fired, but the decision to try to retain so many of his assistant coaches sends a mixed message. Graham interviewed to replace Judge before the job went to Daboll, who now would be his boss. And Brian Flores is suing the Giants and the NFL, alleging racism over a “sham” head-coach interview.
Graham spent one season as Dolphins defensive coordinator under Flores — “We’re like brothers,” Graham said in December — but was given permission to make a lateral move to the Giants and receive the title of assistant head coach in 2020 because he and Judge also are very tight. Flores’ lawsuit claims the Giants contacted him on the same day Judge was fired and even suggested that Daboll might be available to him as offensive coordinator.
Graham interviewed twice for the Vikings head coach job that ultimately went to Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. As nine new head coaches assemble staffs, Graham is expected to draw more interview requests as defensive coordinator, a source said.
If the Giants lose Graham, Daboll’s first pivot step could be to former Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is a disciple of (and former defensive coordinator under) Bill Parcells, who maintains a good relationship with Giants general manager Joe Schoen.
Daboll, new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and Graham all were assistants together with the Patriots, while McDaniels and Daboll first worked together in the late 1990s as graduate assistants at Michigan State. Now they could be battling for Graham and other assistants off of Bill Belichick’s coaching tree. The Raiders reportedly interviewed former Bears defensive coordinator Sean DeSai as well as Graham.