Andre Patterson, whose more than four decades of coaching experience include 21 years in the NFL, is in his fourth season as the Giants' defensive line coach.
In his two seasons with the Giants, Patterson was instrumental in the development of Dexter Lawrence II, who has become one of the league's very best defensive linemen. In each of the last three seasons (2022, '23 and '24) Lawrence was voted to the Pro Bowl. In 2022 and '23, Lawrence was selected as a second-team All-Pro.
Lawrence set a new career-high with 9.0 sacks during the 2024 season, despite missing the last five games due to an elbow injury. Lawrence led the NFL in sacks through the first eight weeks of the season. Overall, the defense recorded 45 sacks, tied for the eighth-most in the league. The Giants finished the 2024 campaign with an 8.95% sacks per pass attempt rate, which ranked third.
In 2022, Lawrence set a career-high with 68 tackles (35 solo) and produced a team-leading 7.5 sacks. In 2021, Lawrence recorded 53 tackles (32 solo), a team-high 21 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two passes defensed.
Prior to joining the Giants, Patterson spent eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, the first six as the team's defensive line coach. In 2020, Patterson added the titles of co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Patterson was previously the Vikings' defensive line coach in 1998-99. He has coached at three levels, working five years as a high school coach and 15 years in the collegiate ranks in addition to his long tenure in the NFL.
In his second stint with Minnesota (2014-21), Patterson helped Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen become two of the most productive defensive ends in the NFL. Hunter recorded 48.0 sacks prior to turning 25 years of age, an NFL record since sacks became an official stat in 1982 and became the youngest player (25 years and 40 days) to eclipse 50.0 career sacks. He had 14.5 sacks and was a Pro Bowler in both 2018 and 2019. Griffen was selected to four Pro Bowls playing for Patterson.
The 2018 Vikings set a franchise record with 10 sacks vs. Detroit on Nov. 4 and had nine sacks vs. Miami on Dec. 16.
The previous year, the Vikings finished first in the league in scoring and total defense, allowing just 15.8 points per game and 275.9 yards per game. Griffen was selected to his third Pro Bowl and defensive tackle Linval Joseph his second. Griffen began the year with a streak of eight straight games with a sack, tied for the longest streak to start a season in NFL history.
Patterson spent the 2013 season as the assistant head coach/defensive line coach at Florida International University. From 2010-2012, he served as the defensive coordinator at Texas-El Paso.
Patterson was the assistant head coach/defensive line coach from 2008-09 at UNLV.
From 1997-2006, Patterson worked in the NFL, primarily as a defensive line coach. He joined Mike Shanahan's Broncos staff for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In 2003 and 2004, Patterson was the Cleveland Browns D-line coach. From 2000-02, Patterson held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys.
Patterson's first stint in Minnesota was in the 1998-99 seasons. He coached the defensive line during the Vikings' 15-1 season in 1998 when they lost to Atlanta in the NFC Championship. Patterson began his NFL career in 1997 when he joined the New England Patriots as a defensive assistant.
His only stint as a collegiate head coach came at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo from 1994-96 when the team was 17-16. Patterson led his team to a league title in 1994 and was named American West Conference Coach of the Year. The 1994 season was Cal Poly's first in Division 1-AA.
Patterson was the D-line coach at Washington State in 1992-93 and at Cornell in 1990-91, and the defensive coordinator at Western Washington in 1989. The year before, he coached the defensive line at Weber State.
A native of Richmond, Calif., Patterson and his wife, Donna, have a son, Andre, Jr., and a daughter, Ashmera. Patterson earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from the University of Montana in 1983. He played collegiately as an offensive lineman at Contra Costa College and Montana before suffering a career-ending knee injury.
In 2020, Patterson was inducted into the JFK High School Hall of Fame in his hometown of Richmond.
1982: University of Montana - Graduate Assistant
1988: Weber State University - Defensive Line
1989: Western Washington University - Defensive Coordinator
1990-91: Cornell University - Defensive Line
1992-93: Washington State University - Defensive Line
1994-96: Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo - Head Coach
1997: New England Patriots - Defensive Assistant
1998-99: Minnesota Vikings - Defensive Line
2000-02: Dallas Cowboys - Defensive Line
2003-04: Cleveland Browns - Defensive Line
2005-06: Denver Broncos - Defensive Line
2008-09: University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
2010-12: University of Texas at El Paso - Defensive Line
2013: Florida International University - Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
2014-19: Minnesota Vikings - Defensive Line
2020-21: Minnesota Vikings - Defensive Line/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Asst. Head Coach
2022-25: New York Giants - Defensive Line
*Patterson was a high school coach from 1983-87.
