With 2 months left in the regular season, the leader for the most attractive head coach opening in the NFL got a clear favorite when the New York Giants fired fourth year head coach Brian Daboll on Monday, November 10.
The Giants, who dropped to 2-8 with a loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 10, have a ton of young talent on both sides of the ball, led by rookie quarterback and 2025 first round pick Jaxson Dart.
Daboll’s downfall came after the Giants blew 4 double digit leads in the first 10 games.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks the top candidate for the Giants opening should be former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, who wasn’t retained after the 2024 season and replaced by special teams coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
McCarthy went 49-25 in 5 seasons as the Cowboys head coach from 2020 to 2024, including 3 consecutive playoff appearances from 2021 to 2023.
“Mike McCarthy would be the safe choice among the potential candidates, with the best resume,” Moton wrote on Tuesday, November 11. “He’s a proven Super Bowl-winning head coach with a winning record at two blue-blood franchises: the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. In Green Bay, McCarthy molded Aaron Rodgers in his early years. Also, under his tutelage, Dak Prescott led the league in QBR (73.4), completions (410) and touchdown passes (36) in a Pro Bowl 2023 campaign. If the Giants want an old-school coach who is accomplished and knows how to build a winning program, McCarthy is by far the best option.”
Giants Have Great Nucleus of Young Talent
Because of Dart and a talented group of young players including wide receiver Malik Nabers, running back Cam Skattebo and edge rusher Abdul Carter, the Giants seem like a team that could quickly become an NFC contender with the right head coach.
“It is the No. 1 job,” ESPN analyst and Super Bowl champion Jeff Saturday said on “First Take” on Tuesday, November 11. “You’ve got Dart, you’ve got Cam Skattebo, you’ve got Abdul Carter … look at the nucleus of players they have in there.”
The Giants are about to hire their fifth head coach in the last decade.
The low point of the season — before Daboll’s firing — came in a 33-32 Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos in which the Giants led 19-0 headed into the fourth quarter.
“NFL teams had won an incredible 1,602 straight games when leading by 18+ points in the final six minutes,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account. “The Giants led 26-8 with six minutes left… and the Broncos came back to win 33-32.”
McCarthy Might Also Be Candidate for Titans
McCarthy could also be a good fit with the Tennessee Titans, who have 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback and fired head coach Brian Callahan after Week 5.
“Though Mike McCarthy isn’t quite as exciting as some of the young, up-and-coming names on the list, he’s a proven winner with decades of experience, and that might be exactly what the Titans need at this point,” Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters wrote on October 15. ” … Tennessee just drafted Cam Ward first overall and is hoping he will be the player who turns the franchise around. Having McCarthy in the building could be perfect for the young talent.”
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