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The New York Giants decided to become the latest NFL team to fire their head coach by letting go of Brian Daboll. While the former AP NFL Coach of the Year showed some promising signs during his tenure, a 2-8 start to his fourth year was too much to overcome. The Giants have time to figure out who the next head coach will be, but they’ll start compiling a list of candidates. It should be a somewhat attractive job for candidates. Jaxson Dart has promise at quarterback, and there are talented players all over the roster. That said, the Giants have been a losing franchise for a while, and some coaches might not be keen to work with general manager Joe Schoen, who is on a very hot seat. If they can’t attract a big name to the job, there’s one coach who could make sense. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr listed former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce as a possible candidate for the Giants’ job. “Pierce didn’t get much of a puncher’s chance with the Raiders, but he is a former Super Bowl–winning linebacker of the Giants who had Tom Coughlin on staff in Las Vegas as an advisor,” Orr wrote. “The 47-year-old is a critical piece of the organization’s history and is admired by ownership. Pierce showed some talent as a head coach, rescuing the formerly Josh McDaniels–coached Raiders and earning the full-time job for one season in 2024 before Tom Brady’s arrival as minority owner.” Does Pierce Deserve Another Shot? When the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce after last season, it wasn’t met with much pushback. The team was terrible, and he seemed to be in over his head. However, the Raiders actually look worse under Pete Carroll than they did under Pierce. And Pierce didn’t have Geno Smith at quarterback and Ashton Jeanty at running back. There’s no doubt that Pierce was thrust into the head coaching role too quickly. He should’ve been a coordinator for a year or two before making that leap. But now, he has real experience under his belt with one of the most dysfunctional franchises in sports. That’s not to mention that Pierce won a Super Bowl with the Giants and is beloved by that fan base. It’s a long shot that he’ll actually get the job, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he at least got an interview. What About Jon Gruden? Pierce would be a fun story, but former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden might make more sense. The Giants need a strong offensive mind in the building to help develop Dart. Gruden has serious issues when it comes to personnel, but he has done great work with quarterbacks in the past. Nick Brinkerhoff of USA Today sees Gruden as a fit in New York. “Gruden has gotten back in the public eye and continues to seemingly campaign for another head coaching job,” Brinkerhoff wrote. “He ultimately resigned as the Raiders coach in 2021 following some offensive emails being made public. He’s a wild-card.
