The New York Giants fired their head coach, Brian Daboll, on Monday, following another disastrous road loss out in Chicago.

Nobody knew for sure that Sunday’s Week 10 game at Chicago would be Daboll’s last, but watching it yesterday, it certainly felt like it could be. As the Giants collapsed in yet another road game, the Giants’ erstwhile coach stood on the sidelines, looking defeated. His postgame press conference gave off an aura of resignation. Any Giants fan out there knew that the Brian Daboll regime was over: It was just a question as to when he would be fired.

Do not say that “few could have expected it would be the day after the Bears game.” Many people thought it could happen. Even Bracket Yard, your favorite sports website, said on Sunday afternoon that Daboll could not coach another game. In terms of the Giants 2-8 season, rigor mortis had already set in, and there was nothing left to which to cling.

As of now, it appears general manager Joe Schoen is still in place. There are implications from the front office that he is safe, but put a pin in that one. Nobody but an owner is ever truly safe in the NFL. (Jerry Jones is no doubt thankful every day for that piece of information.)

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over as the interim head coach.

Brian Daboll: Stats and Facts as New York Giants Coach

Over three and a half seasons, Daboll had an all-time record in the regular season of 20-40-1. His 61 games coached were the most for a Giants head coach since Tom Coughlin. Daboll also went 1-1 in his only postseason trip, beating the Vikings but then losing to the Eagles.

In his final season, through 10 games, the Giants were 14th in total offense, but 29th in total defense. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart helped with a lot of that offensive resurgence, but on the latter point, numerous late collapses in road games soured what has been at times a mildly competent defense. Daboll’s Giants blew late fourth quarter leads in Dallas, Denver, and finally, Chicago.

Daboll ended his Giants career on a four-game losing streak. His final win with Big Blue was the Thursday night game against Philadelphia.

Was Firing Daboll the Right Move?

It was the only move. The franchise had seen all of its goodwill from the Chargers and Eagles wins completely evaporate over the course of four weeks. Devastating injuries occurred, sure, but the Denver loss was the beginning of the end for this era of Giants football. It was clear that their “turning the corner” was a mirage. Fool’s Gold won’t get you a beach house; it gets you a lot of disappointment. It let the Giants fans believe in the team for a couple weeks, but the clock struck midnight, and the proverbial carriage turned back into a pumpkin.

Nevertheless, they had to fire him. It does not save this season – there is nothing to save – but it sends a message that this regime has ended and all will be gone soon.

What’s Next After Brian Daboll Firing?

Coaching Candidates

There are going to be a number of names discussed in the media over the coming months. None of it matters right now. Expect people like Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden to be mentioned. There is a real chance neither of them will be the coach in 2026. In fact, the new Giants coach is probably coaching somewhere else right now, and it won’t be clear until the end of the season who is a genuine candidate.

All speculation on this topic will be idle. They are not going to hire a new coach in November.

Coordinators

Some are no doubt upset that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is still employed. If you are one of them, all I can say is this: He won’t be this time next year, at least not by the Giants. The odds of the next Giants coach retaining him as DC are about zero percent.

Even if things get very good under interim head coach Mike Kafka, it’s doubtful he will get the job full-time. Further, it is not likely he will be back on the new coach’s staff unless something strange happens.

Players

The players are not off the hook – not at all. Many guys have contributed, but there have also been many mistakes. Whatever regime is in place in 2026 will need to take a hard look at who stays and who goes. It is too soon to say how that will go, and frankly, given the complexities of roster building in the NFL, you might be surprised (or not) at who is still on next year’s team. Fans will have their wish lists of players, but we are still in the middle of the 2025 season. It would be difficult to forecast 2026 without even knowing the new coach.