James Ferentz, who retired as an NFL player in February after a 10-year career with the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, is in his second season as the Giants' assistant offensive line coach. He assists offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, who was his line coach with the Patriots in 2020-21.
2024 marked Ferentz's first season as a coach in the NFL. In his role, Ferentz helped mentor an offensive line that allowed 48 sacks in 2024, a significant decrease from the 85 allowed in 2023. In Weeks 17 and 18, the Giants line did not allow any sacks, making it the first time since 2021 that the offense did not give up a sack in back-to-back games.
In his 10 seasons, Ferentz played in 61 regular-season games. He was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams, the 2015 Broncos and the 2018 Patriots.
Ferentz finished college in 2013 and spent a year out of football before being signed by the Houston Texans in the 2014 offseason. He spent that season on the Texans' practice squad. Ferentz was waived by Houston on Sept. 5, 2015, and was awarded the following day to the Broncos. That year, he played in 14 games for a Denver team that won Super Bowl 50 in Peyton Manning's final season.
At the University of Iowa, Ferentz played for his father, Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes' head coach since 1998. He played in 39 games, including starts in each of his last 38 contests, and was named second-team All-Big Ten center as a senior.
Ferentz was named first-team all-state as a junior and senior at Iowa City High School, where he helped his team advance to the state playoffs three consecutive years. He also lettered four times in wrestling, finishing seventh in the 2006 state tournament and second in 2008.
James and his wife, Skylar, have three sons - Forest, Lincoln, and Marshall. He has two brothers, Steve and Brian, and two sisters, Joanne and Kelly. His brother, Steve, is currently a defensive assistant for the Giants.
2024-25: New York Giants Assistant - Offensive Line
