The New York Giants have fired head coach Brian Daboll following the week 11 loss in Chicago. Now 2-8 for the season and with postseason hopes all but dead, Giants president John Mara and general manager Joe Schoen announced the news on Monday, 10 November. A joint statement read: “We spoke this morning about the direction of our franchise on the field, and we have decided that, at this time, it is in our best interest to make a change at the head coaching position.”
This decision ends the Daboll era, which began with such promise but ultimately fell way short of expectations. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will step into the interim head coach role in an effort to salvage something from another lost season.
One Collapse Too Many
Former NFL Coach of the Year Brian Daboll fired as New York Giants coach https://t.co/3SeYpEYIfX
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) November 10, 2025
Already under pressure following successive defeats in Denver, Philadelphia, and at home to the 49ers, Daboll appeared to be in the process of buying himself some time at Soldier Field. With less than four minutes left on the clock, the Giants held a 20-10 lead. And then came the all too familiar collapse.
Rome Odunze reduced the arrears with a two-yard touchdown catch. Russell Wilson, in for the concussed Jaxson Dart, was then sacked for a loss to end the Giants’ drive. When Jamie Gillan shanked his punt, the Bears had prime field position with just under three minutes remaining. Caleb Williams took maximum advantage with a 17-yard scramble down the left touchline to turn the Giants’ 20-10 lead into a 24-20 deficit in the blink of an eye.
This represented the fourth time this season that the Giants have lost, having held a double-digit lead, and the second time they have coughed up such an advantage with under four minutes remaining.
The Inevitable Result of Underperformance
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The dismissal of Daboll represents a disappointing end to a partnership that began with such promise. After spells with the Patriots, Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Bills, Daboll took his first head coach role with the Giants in 2022.
Taking over a side that ended 2021 with a 4-13 record, Daboll surpassed all expectations by improving to 9-7-1 and leading the Giants to the playoffs in his first season at the helm. Winning in Minnesota in the Wild Card Round, they then lost to bitter rivals the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. Nevertheless, that rapid turnaround filled Giants fans with hope and earned Daboll the NFL Coach of the Year award.
Rather than progress, the Giants’ performance deteriorated in the two subsequent seasons. Having slumped to 6-11 in 2023, they plumbed new depths with a 3-14 record in 2024. That led to speculation that both Daboll and Joe Schoen would be shown the door in the drop-off offseason.
In the end, that duo were granted more time. However, president John Mara made his expectations for improvement clear when stating, “I’m aware of how many games we’ve won, and obviously, the results are not even close to what we want them to be. They’re going to have to get better if we’re going to move on.”
With the above comments in mind, a 2-8 record was never likely to be enough to keep Daboll in a job. The 50-year-old departs with an overall record of 20-40-1 following three and a half years in charge.
Schoen Stays for Now
Schoen drew criticism for the Daniel Jones failure and for allowing running back Saquon Barkley to leave during free agency. The duo’s subsequent exploits in Indianapolis and Philadelphia did little to appease disgruntled fans However, Schoen has clawed back a significant amount of credit in recent drafts.
2025 pick Jaxson Dart has made an excellent start under centre. Before his concussion in Chicago, he ran in two touchdowns to become the first quarterback in NFL history to score a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games. Whilst it is still early days, the first-round pick has shown enough to suggest he is the man to build around. The decision to hand the reins to offensive coordinator Mike Kafka should at least smooth the transition for Dart and allow the rookie QB to continue his development with minimal play-calling disruption.
Taking Cam Skattebo with the 105th overall pick also looked like an inspired move before the running back’s season-ending injury in Philadelphia.
Mara acknowledged Schoen’s solid recent recruitment when saying, “We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development.” Who will ultimately guide that future development remains to be seen – but it will not be Brian Daboll.