Copyright CBS Sports
Days after acknowledging rumors about New York Giants ownership weighing his future, Brian Daboll is officially out as the team's head coach, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. After overseeing a fourth straight loss Sunday, in which his Giants squandered a 10-point third-quarter lead against the Chicago Bears, Daboll was dismissed on Monday. Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over in an interim role, according to multiple reports. Local media outlets recently circulated rumors about Daboll's standing, suggesting Giants owner John Mara intended to fire the coach immediately following the Giants' Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos, in which New York lost an 18-point fourth-quarter lead to fall 33-32 on a walk-off field goal. Instead, Mara waited until just over halfway through Daboll's fourth season at the helm of the organization to end the marriage. Daboll, 50, went just 2-8 this season, dropping his career record as the Giants' coach to 20-40-1. Previously the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator, Daboll initially energized New York upon his hire in 2022, when he was fresh off a promising run alongside then-MVP candidate Josh Allen. His debut Giants campaign featured the rejuvenation of both quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, who helped lead a surprise playoff appearance, as well as a wild-card upset of the Minnesota Vikings. Things went downhill from there. Jones regressed as part of an injury-ravaged offense during Daboll's second season, which was also plagued by maligned play-calling. Then the bottom fell out in 2024, when the Giants managed just a 3-14 record, even releasing Jones late in the year at the quarterback's request. Despite the decline, both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen received a surprise endorsement from Mara going into the 2025 campaign, totally overhauling the quarterback position this offseason. Daboll was reportedly instrumental in the Giants' first-round selection of Jaxson Dart this April, ushering the rookie signal-caller onto the field in September in place of veteran placeholder Russell Wilson. While they made some magic together, with Dart notably leading a prime-time upset of the rival Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6, the Ole Miss product also suffered multiple injuries while trying to elevate his coach's attack.
