The last time we saw the New England Patriots, they picked up a 33-15 victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football in Week 13. While that win was great for the Patriots, it actually ended up leading to one of the team’s former players, Bryan Cox, losing his job on the Giants’ coaching staff.
Cox formerly spent 12 years in the NFL as a star linebacker, with one of those years seeing him latch on with New England. Cox helped the Patriots kick off their dynasty in 2001, as he won the only Super Bowl of his career that season.
Since retiring as a player, Cox has transitioned to coaching, as he’s been with New York as an assistant defensive line coach since 2022. During the Giants’ bye week in Week 14, Cox was fired by New York, with reports indicating it was due to a dispute over where he was sitting on the team’s plane as they returned home from their loss to the Pats.
“Sources say the final straw was Cox’s reaction to the seating arrangement being changed on the flight home from the Patriots game,” Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported in a post on X. “The assistant coaches typically sit near the front of the plane, but they were moved to the back on that flight.
Why that was a big deal and what exactly transpired from there to lead to Cox’s firing is unclear. But there has obviously been a lot of unrest with the coaching staff this season and Cox is very close with Brian Daboll, so sources weren’t surprised that things ended acrimoniously.”
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This is certainly a bit of an odd report, but it doesn’t seem like anyone in the Giants’ building is all that surprised Cox’s tenure with the team ended this way after head coach Brian Daboll was fired earlier this season.
As for the Patriots, things are going much better, as the team is 11-2 heading into their Week 15 action. They will have to be at their best if they want to win their 11th-straight game, though, as a difficult matchup against the Buffalo Bills awaits them.
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images
