The New York Giants are in a familiar, painful spot. The head coach is out, the losses are piling up, and the fanbase is screaming for answers. Brian Daboll got the axe, and yet, General Manager Joe Schoen is still standing, giving Mike Kafka a tryout for next season. It’s a bold move, a gamble that has left many in the football world scratching their heads.
Owner John Mara is betting the farm on Schoen. He’s banking on the idea that the GM has laid a foundation solid enough to build a winner, even if the last guy couldn’t figure out the blueprint. Mara said they weren’t a package deal, that their jobs were different. Schoen’s job was to build the roster; Daboll’s was to coach it. Fair enough. But let’s be real, when a team is this bad for this long, nobody’s hands are completely clean.
Still, you can see what Mara is thinking. He’s looking at the roster and seeing glimmers of hope. There’s the electric rookie QB Jaxson Dart, a potential franchise-changer. There’s a legitimate No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers and a stud left tackle in Andrew Thomas. The backfield has some juice with Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr., and the pass rush has some serious dogs in Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter. It’s not a championship roster yet, not by a long shot. But it’s not a barren wasteland, either. There’s enough talent there to make a new coach believe they can turn this thing around.
“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” Mara said in the team statement.
That’s a massive vote of confidence, and it comes with a huge responsibility for Schoen: find the right guy to lead this team.
The Search is On, and Schoen’s in Charge
Schoen isn’t just surviving; he’s leading the charge. Tucked away in that press release was the crucial line: Schoen will “lead the search for a new head coach.” While there have been some whispers about his own job security, his contract runs through 2026. Unless a coaching unicorn comes along and demands to bring in his own GM, Schoen is the guy. And since he’s the one making the candidate list, that seems unlikely.
This is where it gets dicey. We’ve seen this movie before, not just in New York but across the league. A GM and a coach on different timelines? It’s a recipe for disaster more often than not. Just look at the Giants’ own recent history with Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge. It was a mess. But then you see what’s happening in New England or Chicago, and you wonder if maybe, just maybe, it can work. The Giants are praying they can pull it off.
And they’ll have options. This isn’t some backwater job nobody wants. This is the New York Giants. Despite the recent struggles, the brand is still iconic. One source with deep knowledge of the coaching carousel called the job “highly coveted.” There’s talent, there’s history, and there’s the massive New York market.
Who’s Next in the Hot Seat for the Giants?
The brain trust for this search will be Schoen, Chris Mara, John Mara, Steve Tisch, and Tim McDonnell. They’re looking for a leader, someone who can “command the room” and build a culture that lasts. Previous head coaching experience is a big plus. The New York pressure cooker is no place for a rookie to learn on the job.
So, who are the names being thrown around? You’ve got the familiar faces with Giants ties: Steve Spagnuolo, the fiery defensive coordinator from the Chiefs; Lou Anarumo, another defensive guru from the Colts; and Antonio Pierce, who brought some much-needed swagger to the Raiders.
But the net will be cast wider. Expect to hear about top coordinators like Jesse Minter (Chargers), Chris Shula (Rams), and Jeff Hafley (Packers). There are also retreads like Mike McCarthy and even Jon Gruden, whose names always seem to surface. And don’t sleep on the college ranks. Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame, whom the Giants have reportedly been keeping tabs on, could get a look.
Then there’s the wild card. What if a big fish becomes available? A Mike Tomlin, a John Harbaugh, a Kevin Stefanski. If a proven winner suddenly hits the market, you can bet every team with an opening, especially a high-profile one like the Giants, will be making a call.
The Giants have tried everything. The young coordinator (Ben McAdoo), the “adult in the room” (Pat Shurmur), the rah-rah leader (Joe Judge), and another coordinator-turned-head coach (Daboll). None of them worked.
Now, the ball is in Schoen’s court. He got his guy once, and it blew up in his face. This is his shot at redemption.
His legacy, and the immediate future of one of the NFL’s proudest franchises, hangs in the balance. He’s got seven more weeks to get his list right. The clock is ticking.
