Joe Judge will serve as assistant head coach in 2023. Judge returned to the New England Patriots in 2022 as an offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach following a two-year stint as head coach of the New York Giants (2020-21). He will serve as assistant head coach in 2023.
Judge enters his tenth season with the New England Patriots after originally joining the organization as assistant special teams coach in 2012. He was promoted to special teams coach following Scott O'Brien's retirement in 2015 and in 2019, he served as special team coordinator/wide receivers coach.
Judge's Patriots special teams units enjoyed successful seasons in Judge's first eight years with New England. In 2019, the Patriots special teams blocked a franchise record four punts. Under Judge's guidance in 2018, Patriots special teams played a key role as part of the Super Bowl LIII Champion squad. In particular, the punt coverage team repeatedly pinned the L.A. Rams offense deep in their own territory throughout the game, forcing the Rams to start three of their drives inside their own 10-yard line. Special teams were also critical in a Week 7 win at Chicago, scoring touchdowns on a kickoff return and a blocked punt en route to a 38-31 victory.
In 2017, the kickoff and kickoff receiving teams each finished third in the NFL in average drive start position. Additionally, RB Dion Lewis led the AFC and finished fourth in the NFL with a 24.8 yards-per return average and earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after returning a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown in a Week 10 game at Denver. P Ryan Allen also enjoyed a successful season under Judge, limiting opponents to just 23 punt returns for a 4.6 yard average, the lowest in team history. Special teamer Matthew Slater was selected to his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl, matching Steve Tasker for most special teams Pro Bowl honors in NFL history.
In 2016, Judge's kickoff team led the AFC in kickoff drive start position and finished third in the NFL, while finishing second in the league in drive start position in 2015. Additionally, the kickoff return team finished seventh in the NFL in kickoff return drive start and fourth in the AFC in 2016. Judge's punt teams have enjoyed similar success, finishing second in the NFL in punt coverage and second in opponents return average. As a punt returner, WR Danny Amendola led the entire NFL in punt return average in 2015 while averaging 12 yards-per-return. Having worked with Judge since 2012, WR Julian Edelman has become one of the most efficient punt returners in the NFL. In 2012, Edelman averaged 15.5 yards-per-return while being limited by injury to only 17 punt returns that season. Edelman has become second all-time in Patriots history with a career punt return average of 11.7 yards, which also tied him for eighth all-time in the NFL for punt return average. Likewise, Judge has overseen some standout kickoff return performances. In 2016, RB Dion Lewis scored on the longest kickoff return touchdown in team postseason history with a 98-yard return for a touchdown vs. Houston in the AFC Divisional Playoff. In 2015, WR Keshawn Martin had the longest kickoff return in the AFC with his 75-yard return vs. Tennessee. In the 2016 postseason, DB Jonathan Jones finished tied for first in the NFL in postseason special teams tackles.
In addition to K Stephen Gostkowski leading the NFL in scoring for four of the past seven seasons under Judge's tutelage, Gostkowski was also elected to the Pro Bowl in 2013, 2014 and 2015. With 156 points in 2017, Gostkowski became the first player in NFL history with five 150-point seasons. He is one of three players to lead the league in scoring for at least five seasons. Under Judge's guidance, Gostkowski has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week five times and AFC Special Teams Player of the Month three times, while Allen has earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice while working with Judge. Additionally, under Judge's tutelage Allen has become the Patriots all-time leader in punt average with a 45.0 career average. As a rookie in 2013, Allen set a Patriots rookie record with his 39.9 net average on punts and in 2016, finished second in the AFC in net punt average. Additionally, Matthew Slater has been selected to seven straight Pro Bowls as a special teamer and earned Associated Press First Team: All-Pro honors for the first time in his career in 2016, while Nate Ebner tied for the NFL lead in special teams tackles. Slater and Ebner were also the only two special teams players in the entire NFL to be selected to the All-Pro team.
In Judge's first season in 2012, New England led the NFL in extra points and finished second in punt return yards and fewest punt return yards allowed. In 2013, the Patriots finished tied for most field goals made and field goal percentage. In 2016, the field goal unit led the league in field goals made and was second in field goal percentage. In his first five years in New England, Judge's field goal blocking unit has the second-most blocked field goals across the entire NFL with seven blocked field goals.
Judge came to the Patriots after a three-year stint at the University of Alabama as a football analyst under coach Nick Saban. While on the Alabama staff, Judge was a member of two National Championship teams in 2009 and 2011 and assisted with the special teams units. At Alabama, Judge's special teams units boasted a First-Team All American kicker and Groza Award finalist (Leigh Tiffin, 2009), a First-Team All American return specialist (Javier Arenas, 2009), an SEC All-Freshman team punter (Cody Mandell, 2010) and a returner who finished his career ranked second all-time in NCAA return yards (Arenas).
Prior to going to Alabama, Judge spent one season at Birmingham-Southern where he served as special teams/linebackers coach in 2008. He began his coaching career at Mississippi State as a graduate assistant under Sylvester Croom from 2005-07. While at Mississippi State, Judge tutored a freshman All-SEC punter, five All-SEC linebackers and a returner who finished as the all-time SEC leader in career return yards and kickoff return yards.
Judge played for Mississippi State from 2000-04, earning three letters. He was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and made the Dean's List.
Judge played quarterback and strong safety during a four-year high school career at Landsdale (Pa.) Catholic High School under Jim Algeo. He was named All-Area as a junior and senior.
Judge was born Dec. 31, 1981, in Philadelphia, Pa. His father, Joseph, played football at Temple and professionally with the Hamilton Tigercats of the CFL. Judge is currently working on his PhD in education. Judge's wife, Amber, was an All-SEC soccer player at Mississippi State, and they have four children together - Sean, Michael, Emma Riley and Ella Grace.
