The New York Giants have fired head coach Brian Daboll after Sunday’s loss in Chicago, a defeat that extended a pattern of blown double-digit leads this season.
Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch issued a joint statement saying, “The past few seasons have been nothing short of disappointing, and we have not met our expectations for this franchise. We understand the frustrations of our fans, and we will work to deliver a significantly improved product.” They said the move is intended to help the team move forward.
Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will step in as interim head coach. Kafka, who has been a finalist for several head-coaching openings in recent years, will lead the team while general manager Joe Schoen conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Schoen will remain in his GM role; Mara said he believes Schoen “has assembled a good young nucleus of talent” and expressed confidence in the roster’s future development.
The Giants are 2-8 this season and have lost 11 of 14 games since the start of 2023, including blowing multiple double-digit leads this year. Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears marked another late collapse. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a concussion in that game — his fourth concussion evaluation this year, including the preseason.
Daboll, who won 2022 AP Coach of the Year after guiding the Giants to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff win in his first season, had downplayed speculation about his job status following the loss, saying, “I’m just focused on these guys in the locker room.”
Across four seasons in New York, Daboll finished 20-40-1 (.336). The tenure included early praise for roster-building and the decision to draft Dart, but it was also marked by difficulty closing games and several off-field incidents. New York has surrendered double-digit leads in four road games this season and twice lost games after leading by at least 10 points with under four minutes remaining, a dubious statistical note matched only by the 2004 Seattle Seahawks since the NFL merger.
Daboll’s time with the Giants also included a contentious split with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale after the 2023 season, a $100,000 fine earlier this year for approaching the medical tent during Dart’s concussion evaluation, and other episodes that drew attention, such as an incident in which a tablet was flipped at then-quarterback Daniel Jones. There were also staff changes and reports that Schoen monitored coaching headsets to assess in-game communication.
Before coming to New York, Daboll spent four seasons as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator, where he helped in Josh Allen’s development, and he had multiple assistant roles under Bill Belichick in New England. Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday there was no plan at this time to contact Daboll about a return to Buffalo’s staff.
No additional coaching-staff changes were announced on Monday. The organization said it will continue evaluating staff and roster decisions as it looks to improve results and meet fan expectations.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.
