The New York Giants are looking for their fifth different head coach in the last nine years after firing Brian Daboll on Monday following a 2-8 start to the 2025 season — the dooming blow of a three-year stretch that saw him go 11-33 in his last 44 games.
General manager Joe Schoen, almost inexplicably, will get the chance to lead the search for Big Blue’s next head coach despite constructing the rosters that put up such a putrid record since the start of 2023.
Still, this is a job that plenty of potential coaching candidates will covet. Jaxson Dart looks like the real deal, headlining a franchise that has some impressive, young building blocks like edge rusher Abdul Carter, running back Cam Skattebo, wide receiver Malik Nabers, and even tight end Theo Johnson. The defense has some legitimate playmakers, too, such as Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
There will be a decent amount of cap space next offseason, and the ownership tandem of John Mara and Steve Tisch have certainly been patient with ineffective coaches. It was a small miracle that Daboll was brought back after last year’s 3-14 debacle.
Here are 10 early candidates that could be in the mix for the Giants’ head-coaching vacancy:
Bill Belichick: Head coach, University of North Carolina
A six-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots, Belichick is already considered one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history. He also has close ties to the Giants, working in their coaching ranks from 1979-1990 with two Super Bowls to show for it. The 74-year-old has never been shy about the love he holds for the Giants, and making his way back to the Meadowlands would provide as poetic a full-circle moment as any.
Mike Kafka: Interim head coach, New York Giants
The 38-year-old offensive coordinator will try to stabilize things for the Giants while Schoen tries to find a head coach, but there is an obvious inside track that exists. Should Kafka show signs of legitimate improvements, the full-time role could be his. He has already been in the conversation for multiple head-coach jobs around the league, as he most recently interviewed with the New Orleands Saints and Tennessee Titans during the offseason. The Seahawks were also interested in him last year.
Lane Kiffin: Head coach, Ole Miss
If Kiffin wants another crack at an NFL head-coaching job, the Giants might be the perfect fit for him. He was the man who helped develop Dart into a first-round pick, and that continuity could help develop him and the Giants’ offense into a force. But other big-time schools are going to throw big-time money at him, and the Giants — or any other NFL team — could be hesitant after he went 5-15 over two years in 2007 an 2008 with the Raiders.
Kliff Kingsbury: Offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders
It was his offensive acumen that earned him the head-coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-2022. Now, Kingsbury is cementing another run toward an NFL head-coaching gig with the work he has done with the Commanders. Jayden Daniels is one of the top young quarterbacks in the league, much in part to the work Kingsburgy has put in with him. Working with Dart could pay off in similar dividends.
Klint Kubiak: Offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks
Expect to see Kubiak’s name a lot in upcoming head-coaching rumor mills after transforming the Seahawks’ offense into a juggernaut. The 38-year-old has taken former Jets cast-off Sam Darnold and continued his improvement into a legitimate MVP candidate this year. In nine games, Darnold has a 71.1% completion rate with 2,262 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is also flirting with a historic year, posting 63 catches for 1,041 yards and five touchdowns; all with eight games left to play this year. Imagine what he could do with Dart and Nabers?
Mike McCarthy
The former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach has put together some of the better offenses in the NFL over the last 20 years. It even won him a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers 15 years ago. He has a knack for getting into the playoffs, the problem is that he’s had some significant flops once he’s gotten there. That’s still a huge upgrade for a Giants team that has seen the playoffs once in the last eight years.
Antonio Pierce: CBS Sports analyst
The former Giants’ linebacker and Super Bowl champion looked to be on the fast track toward consistent head-coaching gigs in the NFL after going 5-4 as the Las Vegas Raiders’ interim head coach in 2023. But his return the following year with the full-time role saw him go 4-13, and then he was gone. Pierce is still regarded highly by the organization, and his player-first mentality could help turn the culture around.
Steve Spagnuolo: Defensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
For as much as the development of Dart is paramount, the Giants’ defense also has some key foundational pieces to build upon — and everyone knows Big Blue’s best teams have imposing defenses. Spagnuolo won a Super Bowl as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, then finished a second stint with the team as interim head coach in 2017. He has cemented his legacy as one of the best defensive coordinators ever while with the Chiefs, and his familiarity with the Mara family will likely get him some serious consideration for the job.
Mike Tomlin: Head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s only natural for Tomlin to grow stale in Pittsburgh after 19 years at the helm. The veteran head coach has not won a playoff game since 2016, but he continues to keep his team competitive. The Steelers have not had a losing record since his arrival in 2007. Will it be enough to save his job? Questions about his hot seat have grown over the past few years. If he is shown the door, expect the Giants to go after him.
Kevin Stefanski: Head coach, Cleveland Browns
The clock appears to be ticking on Stefanski’s time in Cleveland, thoug he’s had little to work with given the absolute disaster at the quarterback position. Still, this is a two-time NFL Coach of the year who has led the lowly, dysfunctional Browns to a pair of 11-win seasons. If you can find any modicum of success there, bigger things await elsewhere.
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