GIANTS: Tom Coughlin cashed in on New York’s improbable run to a Super Bowl title, signing a four-year, $21 million contract that will make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches.
“Tom Coughlin has done a great job for us and we think this contract recognizes his outstanding achievements here,” Giants president and chief executive John Mara said Saturday. “This is a message to him and to our fans that we want him to be our coach for many years to come.”
The 61-year-old coach will earn about $5.25 million annually, a $2 million increase over last season and what he was to have earned this year. Seattle’s Mike Holmgren is the NFL’s top-paid coach at $8 million a year.
“For Tom Coughlin, ‘coach’ is not just a title, it’s a responsibility,” said Steve Tisch, the team’s chairman and executive vice president. “He took a group of football players and molded them into the best team in the world. We are honored he will lead the New York Giants for many more years and know that the team and its fans are better for his amazing contributions.”
Coughlin had been on the verge of being fired after the Giants went 8-8 in 2006 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.
The Giants (14-6) and Coughlin both staged remarkable turnarounds, capped by a 17-14 win over previously unbeaten New England in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
LIONS: ESPN reported cornerback Brian Kelly, who voided his contract with the Buccaneerss, became the fourth former Tampa Bay defender to join Rod Marinelli in Detroit. Kelly agreed to a three-year deal with the Lions. Marinelli was a former Bucs assistant head coach and defensive line coach from 1996-2005, before taking over as head coach of the Lions in 2006.
BRONCOS: ESPN reported Denver reached a three-year, $4.5 million deal with safety Marquand Manuel, who spent last season with the Carolina Panthers. Manuel signed a five-year, $10 million deal in 2006 with the Packers after he left the Seahawks following their Super Bowl season. Manuel was cut by the Packers before spending last season as a backup with the Panthers, for whom he started two games.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
