It didn’t work for the New York Giants with Brian Daboll, just like it hadn’t worked for them with Joe Judge or Pat Shurmur or Ben McAdoo before him.
The Giants, after firing Daboll on Monday, will again look for the right coach to get them back to something resembling the level of success they experienced under two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin. That has been elusive since Coughlin resigned in January 2016 following a third straight losing season. The post-Coughlin Giants have reached the playoffs twice and have one postseason victory.
It didn’t work for the New York Giants with Brian Daboll, just like it hadn’t worked for them with Joe Judge or Pat Shurmur or Ben McAdoo before him.
The Giants, after firing Daboll on Monday, will again look for the right coach to get them back to something resembling the level of success they experienced under two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin. That has been elusive since Coughlin resigned in January 2016 following a third straight losing season. The post-Coughlin Giants have reached the playoffs twice and have one postseason victory.
Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch left Joe Schoen in place as the general manager, at least for now. The team said Schoen will lead the coaching search. Mike Kafka was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim coach.
The job remains prestigious, even with the drought that has followed Coughlin’s second Super Bowl triumph to conclude the 2011 season. It’s a flagship NFL franchise representing New York City. Rookie Jaxson Dart has shown he’s capable of being a franchise quarterback. Wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo will be in the fold to assist Dart when they return from injuries. There is plenty of pass-rushing talent on defense.
There already has been speculation about prominent coaches such as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin and North Carolina’s Bill Belichick. They both seem to fall into the “probably not, but you never know” category. There is much that must play out between now and January. Here’s an early look at some potential contenders.
Tomlin: He is under contract to the Steelers through the 2027 season after signing a three-year extension in June 2024. So the Giants probably would have to be willing to trade for him. The Steelers never change coaches, of course, and previous conjecture about them or Tomlin moving on has been baseless. But perhaps he and the Steelers would reach an inflection point after his 19th season with the franchise if the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers ends up being misguided.
Belichick: There is so much history there; Belichick once coached Lawrence Taylor as the Giants’ defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells. His NFL coaching days are probably done, given the struggles of his final seasons with the New England Patriots and the issues that have plagued him at North Carolina. But the Tar Heels have steadied themselves with two straight wins. If the team can end the season on an upswing, maybe he would return to being even a long-shot consideration.
Mississippi Coach Lane Kiffin: He coached Dart in college. He has NFL head coaching experience with the Raiders, then based in Oakland, in 2007 and 2008. But there would be plenty of competition from other college programs if Kiffin is willing to leave Oxford. And it would be far from certain that he could make a successful jump from the college ranks.
Green Bay Packers Coach Matt LaFleur: He is under contract with the Packers through the 2026 season. But Ed Policy declined to sign LaFleur and General Manager Brian Gutekunst to contract extensions after taking over as team president. That made this season a prove-it year for LaFleur. And the Packers, after making the mega-trade for pass rusher Micah Parsons, have been uneven, with a 5-3-1 record that has them in third place in the NFC North. LaFleur’s offense is sputtering, with the Packers’ losses coming by scores of 13-10, 16-13 and 10-7.
Cleveland Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski: He’s a two-time NFL coach of the year, but the Browns are 5-21 since the start of last season. If he can’t fix the quarterback issues in Cleveland and is fired, he could be an intriguing option to develop Dart.
Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh: The Ravens seem to be turning around their season. Harbaugh could stay put. But if he’s available, he would be in demand.
Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman: He should be on the list of any NFL team with a vacancy.
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores: His racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, the Giants and other teams is a complicating factor. But he has done a superb job in Minnesota.
Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce: He’s a former Giants linebacker. And while he didn’t succeed with the Raiders, it’s not as if Pete Carroll has turned things around immediately in Las Vegas.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo: He’s a defensive guru who deserves plenty of credit for the Chiefs’ dynastic run. Spagnuolo was the Giants’ interim coach for four games following McAdoo’s firing in 2017.
Kafka: He has been considered a candidate for other NFL head coaching jobs. Now he gets an audition for the rest of this season. Kafka already has made a change by moving Jameis Winston ahead of Russell Wilson on the quarterback depth chart. That puts Winston in line to start Sunday’s game against the Packers at MetLife Stadium if Dart, who is in the concussion protocol, is sidelined.
Former Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy: He’s spending this season out of coaching after parting with the Cowboys following last season. He won a Super Bowl with the Packers and had three straight 12-win seasons with the Cowboys.
Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo: The Giants interviewed Anarumo, then with the Cincinnati Bengals, before they hired Daboll in 2022. He could benefit now from the success of the Colts, who are tied for the NFL’s best record at 8-2.
Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley: He’s a New Jersey native who has head coaching experience at Boston College. The Packers are fifth in the NFL in total defense.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter: He’ll be a head coach at some point.
Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur: If not one LaFleur brother, how about the other? The Rams are a Super Bowl contender, and he could be the latest associate of Coach Sean McVay to progress.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak: The Seattle offense has been terrific with Sam Darnold at quarterback.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy: His reputation has been restored while working with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes again following his four-year head coaching stint in Chicago. The Bears went 34-31 during the regular season and reached the playoffs twice but failed to get a postseason victory.
Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury: He has NFL head coaching experience with the Arizona Cardinals and did a wondrous job last season in Washington with Jayden Daniels. This season has been a struggle, but that may not be his fault.
All times are Eastern.
Buccaneers at Bills, Sunday at 1 p.m.: The Bills followed a win over the Chiefs with a loss to the Miami Dolphins. Figure that one out.
Bears at Vikings, Sunday at 1 p.m.: The Vikings try to stay within reach of the NFC North’s other three teams.
Bengals at Steelers, Sunday at 1 p.m. Joe Flacco vs. Aaron Rodgers for the second time this season.
Seahawks at Rams, Sunday at 4:05 p.m.: First place in the NFC West is at stake.
Lions at Eagles, Sunday at 8:20 p.m.: The Lions revved things up on offense Sunday against the Commanders after Coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties.
Quarterback Joe Burrow resumed practicing Monday as he works his way back from toe surgery. The Bengals opened his 21-day practice window, by which time they must activate him from the injured reserve list or end his season.
Given Burrow’s value, the Bengals could activate him from IR and carry him on the roster for a few weeks even before he’s ready to play. Burrow mentioned targeting the Bengals’ game at Baltimore on Thanksgiving night. Their following game comes 10 days later at Buffalo on Dec. 7 and could be more realistic.
The Bengals are not winning, even after trading for Joe Flacco to replace Jake Browning as their fill-in starter. They’ve lost two straight and six of seven to drop to 3-6. Even so, they’re only two games behind the first-place Steelers in the AFC North. So they still have a reasonable chance to be in playoff contention when Burrow is ready.
The on-field officials continue to have a difficult time with the tush push. They missed a false start by the Philadelphia Eagles on the play during the Eagles’ triumph Monday night over the Packers. They also missed a false start by the Packers on a quarterback sneak, although they properly penalized Green Bay for a false start on another sneak.
The Eagles beat the Packers in the tush push grudge match Monday. It was the Packers, remember, who proposed the ban last offseason on the Eagles’ signature short-yardage play. It continues to appear that the difficulty of officiating the push play could be an added consideration if a ban is proposed again this offseason after falling two votes shy in May of the 24 needed for ratification.
Travis Hunter’s rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars will be remembered as an injury-shortened disappointment. The Jaguars announced Tuesday that Hunter will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.
Hunter finished with 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown at wide receiver to go with 15 tackles, no interceptions and three pass breakups at cornerback. His season ended with an eight-catch, 101-yard, one-touchdown receiving performance in an Oct. 19 loss to the Rams in London.
That may have signaled that NFL stardom is within reach. But his overall production was not what the Jaguars envisioned when they traded up to select the two-way star and Heisman Trophy winner second in the draft in April.
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