Giants, Coughlin agree to 4-year, $12M contract

By Don Banks, SI.com

Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images Tom Coughlin's Career Record Year Team W L T 2002 Jac. 6 10 0 2001 Jac. 6 10 0 2000 Jac. 7 9 0 1999 * Jac. 14 2 0 1998 * Jac. 11 5 0 1997 * Jac. 11 5 0 1996 * Jac. 9 7 0 1995 Jac. 4 12 0 Totals   68 60 0 * -- Was 4-4 in four playoff appearances.

The New York Giants and Tom Coughlin have agreed to a four-year contract worth about $12 million, filling one of the NFL's seven vacant head coaching jobs.

Coughlin, the former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, met with Giants officials for a second time Monday in New York, and the two sides were said to have had substantive talks, according to Giants officials. The two sides sat down again Tuesday and finally came to terms.

"I look forward to working with these players and re-establishing the New York Giants' tradition of physically controlling the line of scrimmage," Coughlin said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"I am really looking forward to getting back into the competitive part of it," he added.

A potential news conference could be held as soon as Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning to announce Coughlin as the team's 17th head coach.

Coughlin's agent, Gary O'Hagan, said the two sides were working on a contract. "The T's haven't been crossed and the I's haven't been dotted," he said.

Coughlin earned $2.7 million in salary from Jacksonville in 2003, and was due $3 million from the Jaguars in '04. He was the Giants' first interview last week, and the Giants also spoke with Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis and Lovie Smith.

A former Giants assistant under Bill Parcells, Coughlin replaces Jim Fassel, who was fired Dec. 17. Fassel coached the team's final two games and ended with a 4-12 record.

Coughlin led the Jaguars for eight seasons, taking over the expansion team in 1995 before being fired following the 2002 season. He was out of the league in 2003 after interviewing for the Cincinnati Bengals' head coaching job last offseason.

He was 72-64 with two AFC title game trips with the Jaguars, but Jacksonville was 6-10 his final season and 19-29 the last three years.

The Giants offered Coughlin their head coaching job in 1993 after firing Ray Handley. Coughlin turned them down, saying he wanted to complete a rebuilding program he started at Boston College.

A disciplinarian on the field, Coughlin said he's changed a little in his year away from football and is willing to accept not having total control off the field.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.