Giants reward Coughlin with a new contract

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Tom Coughlin was rewarded for the New York Giants’ Super Bowl victory, agreeing to a four-year, $21 million contract Friday that will make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches.He will earn about $5.25 million annually, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the contract hasn’t been signed. The person said the team will announce the deal Saturday. The two sides had the outline of the deal in place for weeks.The contract represents a $2 million increase over last season and what he was to have earned this year. Seattle’s Mike Holmgren is the NFL’s top-paid coach at $8 million a year.Gary O’Hagan, Coughlin’s agent, did not return a call. The Giants had no comment.”I don’t think Tom’s going to change,” veteran punter Jeff Feagles said in a telephone interview. “The monetary value, that falls into line with what other coaches make. And especially with the Giants, you’re rewarded for what you do on the field and your dedication, and Tom deserves every bit of it.”Coughlin had been on the verge of being fired after the Giants went 8-8 in 2006 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year. Coughlin and the Giants (14-6) both staged remarkable turnarounds, capped by a 17-14 win over the previously unbeaten New England in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.Coughlin was an assistant coach on Bill Parcells’ staff when the Giants won the Super Bowl in 1991. He left to coach Boston College and eventually took the head job with the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. Coughlin has a 103-89 record in 12 NFL seasons, including a 35-29 mark in four seasons with New York.”We know what we’ll be getting with Tom, and that makes a difference to a player,” said Feagles, who signed a new two-year contract on Feb. 12.