Stephen Thomas, who has 18 years of coaching experience, including eight in the NFL, is in his third season as a Giants' assistant special teams coach.
In 2024, the Giants special teams unit had two players earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Isaiah Simmons was named the Week 5 recipient after he blocked Seattle's Jason Myers 47-yard game-tying field goal attempt. Wide receiver Bryce-Ford Wheaton caught the batted ball and returned it 60 yards for the clinching touchdown. Ihmir Smith-Marsette was the second Giant to earn the honor after he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the Week 17 victory over Indianapolis.
In his first season with the Giants in 2023, the punt team finished seventh in the NFL, allowing an average return of 6.9 yards. Gunner Olszewski's 94-yard touchdown vs. the Rams was the Giants' first punt return touchdown since 2015.
Prior to joining the Giants, Thomas spent four seasons as the Detroit Lions' defensive quality control coach.
He joined the Lions in 2019 after spending six of the previous seven seasons (2012-14, 2016-18) at Princeton University, including the last two as the Tigers' special teams coordinator/inside linebackers coach.
In his final season at Princeton in 2018, Thomas coached a pair of first-team All-Ivy League linebackers (Mark Fossati and Tom Johnson). The Tigers' defense was fourth in the nation in points allowed and seventh in rushing defense. Thomas was Princeton's inside linebackers coach in 2016 when the Tigers led the league in scoring, total and rushing defense.
In between his two stints at Princeton, Thomas was the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive quality control coach in 2015.
Prior to his initial tenure at Princeton, Thomas was a graduate assistant who worked with the offensive line at Southern Mississippi in 2011, and the linebackers (2010) and secondary (2009) at Delaware. He began his coaching career at Cortland State, where he mentored the cornerbacks in 2007 and the entire secondary the following season.
A native of Brooklyn, Thomas played defensive back and earned a degree in chemical and biological engineering at the University at Buffalo. He also earned a master's degree in sport management from Cortland.
Thomas and his wife, Erin, have a son, Justin, and a daughter, Olivia.
2023-25: New York Giants - Assistant Special Teams
2019-22: Detroit Lions - Defensive Quality Control
2017-18: Princeton University - Special Teams/Inside Linebackers
2016: Princeton University - Inside Linebackers
2015: Philadelphia Eagles - Defensive Quality Control
2012-14: Princeton University - Inside Linebackers
2011: University of Southern Mississippi - Graduate Assistant/Offensive Line
2010: University of Delaware - Graduate Assistant/Linebackers
2009: University of Delaware - Graduate Assistant/Secondary
2008: Cortland State University - Defensive Backs
2007: Cortland State University - Cornerbacks
