New coaches for Giants, Panthers…Predators hire former Devils coach…Griffin out indefinitely

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the New York Giants and Patriots assistant Joe Judge are working on a deal for him to become the team’s next head coach. Judge has won three Super Bowls with New England in eight years as an assistant on Bill Belichick’s staff. He was the fifth candidate the Giants have interviewed since firing Pat Shurmur last week. Judge would take over a team that went 4-12 and 5-11 in Shurmur’s two seasons and has been to the playoffs just once since winning the Super Bowl after the 2011 season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — According to a person familiar with the situation, the Carolina Panthers are completing a contract to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule as their coach. The Panthers have not spoken publicly about the coaching search. The person says Panthers owner David Tepper visited Rhule at his home in Waco, Texas, and decided he wanted him to succeed Ron Rivera, who was fired with four games remaining in the season. Rivera was the winningest coach in franchise history and was twice named AP NFL Coach of the Year.

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys will introduce Mike McCarthy as the ninth coach in franchise history on Wednesday. It will be the second coaching stop for the 56-year-old McCarthy. He won a Super Bowl and went to the playoffs nine times in 12-plus seasons with Green Bay. The Packers won the Super Bowl at the home of the Cowboys nine years ago. McCarthy replaces Jason Garrett, whose team missed the playoffs in the final year of his contract.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators have hired former New Jersey Devils coach John Hynes as the third coach in franchise history after firing Peter Laviolette. General manager David Poile says in a statement that Hynes is a bright young coach with a track record of both developing young players and motivating veterans. Poile says they are confident Hynes can get the most out of the Predators. They fired Laviolette and assistant Kevin McCarthy a day after losing to Anaheim on the road in a shootout.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin is out indefinitely after having surgery on his left knee. The Pistons announced Tuesday that Griffin will have an extended rehabilitation period with no timetable for his return. The 30-year-old Griffin was an NBA All-Star last season for the sixth time. He has played in just 18 games this season and is averaging a career-low 15.5 points and a career-low 4.7 rebounds per game.

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