Who will new GM Dave Gettleman hire as head coach?

The New York Giants have of the new management team that will be charged with resurrecting them after this lost season, having on Thursday hired Dave Gettleman as general manager.

Gettleman will have a lot on his plate. At the top of the list, though, will be hiring a head coach. For starters, here is a look back at our full list of potential coaching candidates.

Now, some names I have heard tossed around as possibilities for the Giants’ job in the wake of the hiring of Gettleman.

John DeFilippo (Philadelphia Eagles QBs coach) — DeFilippo is a hot name in head-coaching circles right now, especially with the success he has had in quickly helping Carson Wentz become a top-tier quarterback. DeFilippo’s only NFL experience as an offensive coordinator was a single year (2015) with the Cleveland Browns.

Earlier this week, SB Nation’s Eagles web site, Bleeding Green Nation, took an in-depth look at DeFilippo. Here is the conclusion:

DeFilippo is the best QB coach in the league. Greater aspirations undoubtedly swim under the surface for such a potent mind and magnetic personality—though he’d never admit it, now matter how hard you pried. DeFilippo will firmly root his attention, daily and nightly, in preparing backup QB Nick Foles for a deep playoff run. But, forced to wait in the wings, NFL franchises are restlessly chomping at the bit.

On Wild Card Weekend, as Philadelphia enjoys a first-round bye, DeFilippo will be available for a round of interviews for OC and HC vacancies alike. They won’t be his first—he interviewed for San Francisco’s 2015 HC job, eventually filled by Chip Kelly—but they will be far greater in number and competitiveness. DeFilippo is the next young, dynamic, charismatic head coach of the NFL—it’s just a matter of which franchise first takes that bold swing for the fences.

I haven’t found any known connection between Gettleman and DeFilippo, but his name keeps popping up.

Steve Wilks (Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator) — This one is a no-brainer. Wilks is a much-talked about candidate, and he pre-dated Gettleman in Carolina. Since 2012, Wilks has risen from defensive backs coach, to DBs coach and assistant head coach to, finally, defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. It seems obviou that Wilks will be on Gettleman’s list.

Matt Patricia (New England Patriots defensive coordinator) — The Beard was a guy many pined for when the Giants hired McAdoo in 2016. He has been with the Patriots since 2004, when he was hired as an offensive assistant. He became the team’s defensive coordinator in 2012. Like DeFilippo, I haven’t been able to unearth a past connection between Gettleman and the 43-year-old Patricia.

The wild-card

Lots of chatter about what might happen if the Houston Texans decide to part ways with Bill O’Brien at the end of the season. After three 9-7 years, the Texans are only 4-11 this season and there are lots of rumors of friction between O’Brien and the Houston front office.

If he gets cut loose, I’m sure some will connect him to the Giants’ job. That might even wind up being accurate. O’Brien, though, would figure to have his pick of several jobs.