UPDATE: The Giants fired Brian Daboll on Monday, according to reports.
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Brian Daboll is toast.
That much is obvious after yet another collapse of a loss Sunday in Chicago.
Daboll, the Giants’ fourth-year coach, is now 2-8 this season, having set a franchise record Sunday with an 11th straight road loss. That’s on top of the overall team-worst 10-game losing streak record he set in 2024.
(Does this guy know how to make history or what?)
Daboll is 5-22 since the start of last season, including 3-19 in his last 22 games. Since the 2023 season opened, he is 11-33 — three times as many losses as wins over almost a 45-game stretch. That’s hard to do.
So after a fourth straight defeat since that epic Thursday night win over the Eagles, it’s clear Daboll is a goner — maybe before season’s end.
Now comes the harder task for Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch — finding a long-term head coaching solution. This ownership duo is 0 of 4 on coaching hires since firing Tom Coughlin — plus 0 of 2 on general manager hires since canning Jerry Reese.
Will failed GM Joe Schoen stick around to help hire Daboll’s replacement? That’s unclear. But the answer to that question will factor into this job’s attractiveness. Yes, the presence of Jaxson Dart will be alluring. Still, how many coaches want to work with Schoen?
Let’s take a look at some candidates to take over for Daboll in 2026 and become the Giants’ fifth coach in 11 seasons post-Coughlin.
THE PROMINENT NAMES
Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, Bill O’Brien, Mike McDaniel, Mike McCarthy, Lane Kiffin
Analysis: All of these guys have NFL head coaching experience, obviously.
Kiffin is a fascinating option, since he just coached Dart at Mississippi. But Florida might throw a ton of money at him.
A Belichick homecoming seemed intriguing after 2024. But what about now, after all the drama (and losing) at North Carolina?
Gruden probably is still too nuclear, in the wake of his wildly offensive emails. O’Brien, on the other hand, is an intriguing option, if he wants to leave Boston College, where he has struggled mightily this season.
McDaniel is a well-regarded offensive mind, but he has flopped for the most part in Miami. McCarthy has won plenty, yet would still be something of a retread hire (though certainly not at the inept level of Pat Shurmur).
THE WILD CARDS
Matt Campbell, David Shaw, Lincoln Riley
Analysis: Campbell has attracted plenty of NFL interest, but hasn’t budged from Iowa State. Shaw is well respected and thrived at Stanford. After two years out of coaching, he is back now, as the Lions’ passing game coordinator.
Riley would indeed be a wild hire. He has developed quarterbacks, but hasn’t ever coached in the NFL. Plus, would he even want to leave USC?
It’s also obviously worth noting that Riley’s arrival at USC in 2022 resulted in Dart transferring to Ole Miss, since Caleb Williams followed Riley from Oklahoma to Los Angeles. So, yeah, that would be awkward.
THE OFFENSIVE COORDINATORS
Joe Brady (Bills), Kliff Kingsbury (Commanders), Todd Monken (Ravens), Matt Nagy (Chiefs), Drew Petzing (Cardinals), Dan Pitcher (Bengals), Zac Robinson (Falcons), Arthur Smith (Steelers), Frank Smith (Dolphins), Adam Stenavich (Packers), Klint Kubiak (Seahawks)
Analysis: In this group of current NFL offensive coordinators, three guys have head coaching experience in the league: Kingsbury, Nagy and Arthur Smith. Is that something Mara is seeking, given how Daboll and two of his post-Coughlin predecessors (Joe Judge and Ben McAdoo) failed as rookie head coaches? It’s fair to wonder.
THE DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS
Ejiro Evero (Panthers), Jeff Hafley (Packers), Vance Joseph (Broncos), Jesse Minter (Chargers), Steve Spagnuolo (Chiefs), Anthony Weaver (Dolphins), Robert Saleh (49ers)
Analysis: Hafley, a New Jersey native who grew up in Montvale, spent four seasons as Boston College’s head coach before returning to the NFL with the Packers in 2024. Joseph, Saleh and Spagnuolo have been NFL head coaches, though they all struggled badly (as Jets fans know in Saleh’s case). The Giants are obviously quite familiar with Spagnuolo, who wants another shot at a big-whistle job before concluding his elite career.
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