Brian Daboll had a hot start with the New York Giants. Then the results bottomed out.
The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll after an abysmal 2-8 start, the team confirmed Monday. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will serve as the interim head coach.
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In a statement, Giants president John Mara called the past couple seasons “disappointing,” and said the team “will work to deliver a significantly improved product.”
Daboll’s firing came one day after the Giants blew a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The Giants were leading 17-10 and driving when quarterback Jaxson Dart fumbled and had to leave the game with a concussion. Russell Wilson, who began the season as New York’s starting quarterback, was unable to help preserve the lead.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has been fired after a 2-8 start in the 2025 NFL season. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Giants ownership was clear about needing better results after the Giants went 3-14 last season, but gave Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen another season. There was some new energy when Dart, the team’s first-round draft pick, was promoted to starting quarterback. There was even a win over the Philadelphia Eagles, who won last season’s Super Bowl. But the losses far outnumbered the wins.
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Daboll got the Giants’ job due to his role in the development of Josh Allen when Daboll was the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. Daboll didn’t get similar results out of Daniel Jones, who is now in the middle of a fine season with the Indianapolis Colts (8-2). Dart had promising moments, but injuries to Malik Nabers and rookie running back Cam Skattebo set back the Giants as a team. Daboll wasn’t able to overcome that.
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Daboll’s first season as Giants head coach was successful. The Giants were far from a dominant team but rode a string of close wins to the playoffs, where they beat the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round on the road. That led to Daboll getting a Coach of the Year award. It also led to the Giants signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal.
Nothing went right after that. Jones never developed into more than a below-average starter with the Giants. New York started the 2023 season with a 40-0 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys and never recovered, going 6-11. The 2024 season, after Saquon Barkley left for the Eagles in free agency, was even worse. The Giants had a 10-game losing streak, and Jones was benched and cut during it. New York finished 3-14. Jones’ emergence this season with the Colts wasn’t a great look for Daboll or the Giants.
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Giants co-owner John Mara said he wanted to be patient with Daboll and Schoen even as the losses piled up. The tone after the season was that both Daboll and Schoen needed to win games.
“It better not take too long because I’ve just about run out of patience,” Mara said after the 2024 season. “That’ll be a good sound bite for you tonight, huh?”
There is exciting young talent on-hand for the Giants, starting with Dart. That will make the job an easier sell to candidates. Daboll could get another shot to be a head coach down the line as well, mostly due to his work with Allen and that Coach of the Year season to start his Giants career.
But it wasn’t working out in New York. There were too many losses. Giants ownership was tired of waiting for the record to improve.