2 weeks Ago
New York Giants owner John Mara has publicly stated that he intends to keep head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen for at least a fourth season. The team has had four full-time head coaches since Tom Coughlin left town. And in the span of a decade, a fifth looms.
But Daboll has the backing of the braintrust. He’ll likely get his pick of the quarterback litter in the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s a multi-year commitment, and arguably one Daboll has earned for bringing Daniel Jones to the NFC Divisional Round.
(Brad Penner-Imagn Images) However, Daboll’s job security isn’t as ironclad as Mara hoped to express. In order to keep his job, Daboll must retain the team’s confidence in the non-quarterbacking duties of the job. That includes the Week 2 injury gaffe that cost New York an in-season victory.
It also includes the correct choice he made to go for two points while coming back from a 14-point deficit. Despite the lack of regular-season success, Daboll hasn’t been a disaster. But there are plenty of blemishes on his record, meaning Mara will keep a keen eye on his head coach.
If this team turns to dust in the second half of the season, Daboll’s keycard will, too. As such, after losing to the Washington Commanders in Week 9 27-22 , the team’s trip to Munich became all the more important. There won’t be playoff implications at stake when the Giants play the Carolina Panthers.
But underperforming as five-point favorites may be the beginning of the end for Daboll. New York will be sellers during Tuesday’s trade deadline, potentially making this roster more depleted than it was when it lost left tackle Andrew Thomas for the season. But with Thomas gone, little hope under center, and a defense that consistently sees its efforts wasted, the ingredients for an impotent home stretch are present.
Related: Stats Are Lying About Wan'Dale Robinson Fair or not, that comes down to Daboll and his ability to rally the troops on a weekly basis. Doing so will help make his case to stick around for the next stage of the rebuild. For the Giants, beating a bad Panthers team doesn’t equate to anything close to a must-win game.
For their head coach, though, this international affair could have an outsized role on his long-term outlook..
