New York Giants head coaching search: Matt Burke a dark horse candidate?

As the 2025 NFL regular season comes to a close this weekend, the New York Giants‘ search for their next head coach intensifies.

One name that has bubbled up the past week is Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, a 49-year-old Dartmouth safety who has been coaching as an assistant in the NFL for the past 20 years.

Burke has the Texans’ defense riding high these days. No. 1 in the league, to be exact, and only recently has his name been mentioned for a possible promotion to head coach.

“The one that I don’t think we give full credit to, who I kind of expect to be in this mix — Matt Burke, who’s the defensive coordinator of the Texans,” ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan said on the Giants Nation Show with Bobby Skinner. “There’s been some buzz about that where I think that might be something where I think he could be in this mix.”

From Big Blue View:

The 11-5 Texans, who could still win a third straight AFC South title, have the NFL’s No. 1 defense in points, yards, and first downs allowed.

Burke has been in coaching since 1998, and has been an NFL assistant since 2004. Burke was defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins in 2017 and 2018. Giants GM Joe Schoen was Miami’s Director of Player Perssonnel when Burke was the team’s linebackers coach in 2016.

Coincidentally, Giants interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen worked alongside Burke with the Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals.

NFL teams cannot conduct in-person interviews with candidates employed by other teams until after the divisional round of the playoffs

That’s right. Burke has been in the same organization as Schoen in the past and is familiar with Bullen. Schoen is being entrusted with the head coaching search by ownership, and Bullen has done a fine job after taking over as defensive coordinator following the firing of Shane Bowen.

The only knocks on Burke are that he is unknown to Giant fans and that he has never been a head coach in the NFL or any other level.

The Giants have been spinning their wheels with hot coordinators who they hoped would develop into top head coaches. They have whiffed five straight times over the past decade, and a hire such as Burke would likely be met with uncertainty and resistance.

But the upside is, Burke would likely keep Bullen on. Bullen is a coach that the defensive players have taken to and are willing to play for. All that would be needed is an offensive coordinator who can manage stud quarterback Jaxson Dart to maximize his potential.

Easily said, but the Giants are likely to grant Burke an interview this offseason, but for the reasons listed above, he could be the right guy, but at the wrong time.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants head coaching search: Matt Burke a dark horse candidate?

New York Giants head coaching search: Matt Burke a dark horse candidate?

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