The New York Giants will surely take their time as they search for their next head coach after they fired Brian Daboll on Monday, but three names are reportedly on the radar for one league insider.
“Among the names I would keep an eye on as the Giants, let’s say potentially, look to regain some of the greatness of the Tom Coughlin era … I would say Steve Spagnuolo and Antonio Pierce,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported (54-second mark). “Both guys they will look at. Lou Anarumo also has ties to the Giants organization.”
All three candidates are familiar with the Giants.
Spagnuolo was the defensive coordinator for the NFC East team during two different stints. The first one was for two years in 2007 and 2008 and included two playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title.
The second one was for three seasons from 2015 to 2017. He was also the interim head coach for four games in 2017 after Ben McAdoo was fired and went 1-3.
The Giants made the playoffs just once in that second span, but Spagnuolo once again found success as the defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs over the last seven years with five Super Bowl appearances and three Lombardi Trophies.
That he would be on head-coaching radars after so much success with the Chiefs comes as no surprise.
Pierce is another notable name among Giants fans, as he played linebacker for the team for five seasons from 2005 through 2009. He was a Super Bowl champion and a Pro Bowler during that span before turning to coaching with experience with Arizona State in the college ranks and the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL.
He went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim coach in 2023 to earn the full-time role for 2024. However, Las Vegas didn’t bring him back after he was just 4-13 last season.
As for Anarumo, he was the defensive backs coach for the 2018 Giants team that went 5-11.
While he has never been a head coach, he has extensive experience on defensive staffs for the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts after a career as a college assistant for Syracuse, Harvard, Marshall and Purdue, among others.
He was the defensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 2015 and the Bengals from 2019 through 2024. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the 8-2 Colts, who are tied for the best record in the AFC.
Whoever becomes the head coach will be facing a rebuilding process for a Giants team that has one playoff win and two postseason appearances since winning the Super Bowl during the 2011 campaign.
There are some building blocks in place with quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers, although the latter two are out for the season with injuries.
New York will need to make immediate strides on defense if it is going to be competitive in the NFC, and Spagnuolo, Anarumo and Pierce all have extensive experience on that side of the ball.
