The Giants went with an out-of-the-box hire by choosing Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge as their next head coach, but one endorsement appeared to help make their decision.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called the Giants and recommended Judge for the position, telling New York that Judge is "qualified to be a head coach," according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
"The Giants from what I understand got a phone call from Bill Belichick basically selling them that Judge was someone who is, in fact, qualified to be a head coach," Rapoport said on Tuesday.