Brian Daboll Fired As Giants Carousel Spins: Eye 5th Coach in 10 Years

The Giants are now in the market for the NFL franchise’s fifth head coach in the past decade, after firing Brian Daboll following a 2–8 start to the season.

New York made the move Monday, in the aftermath of Sunday’s loss to the Bears, the team’s fourth straight defeat since upsetting the Eagles on Oct. 9. 

Daboll was in the fourth season of a five-year deal he signed in 2022, estimated to be worth up to $30 million. 

The Giants announced that GM Joe Schoen, who was hired at the same time as Daboll and also signed a five-year contract, will “lead the search for a new head coach.” New York is 20-40-1 since the duo was hired and has just one winning season—in 2022, when the Giants finished 9-7-1 in Daboll’s first year. The club finished 6–11 in 2023 and 3–14 last season.

“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” Giants owner John Mara said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect.” 

Some moves under the watch of Daboll and Schoen also include parting ways with two former first-round draft picks—running back Saquon Barkley (drafted No. 2 overall in 2018) and quarterback Daniel Jones (No. 6 overall in 2019). Both have gone on to flourish with the Eagles and Colts, respectively.

Giants assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will serve as interim head coach.

Daboll and Schoen were believed to be on the hot seat following last season, but Mara opted to keep them both for the 2025 season. “It better not take too long, because I’ve just about run out of patience,” Mara said in January of the timeline for the franchise to turn things around.

Coaching Carousel

Daboll’s replacement will be the fifth head coach of the Giants since 2016:

• 2016–17: Ben McAdoo (13–15)
• 2018–19: Pat Shurmur (9–23)
• 2020–21: Joe Judge (10–23)
• 2022–25: Brian Daboll (20-40-1)

New York has made just two postseason appearances since the Tom Coughlin era ended after the 2015 season. 

Schoen and Daboll were centerpieces of Hard Knocks: Offseason in 2024, which showcased the Giants deciding not to re-sign Barkley, who ultimately won the Super Bowl with the Eagles.

The next Giants coaching regime will inherit quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Other young talents include fellow rookie running back Cam Skattebo and second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers, both of whom sustained season-ending injuries this year.