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Brian Daboll, head coach of the NY Giants, addresses the press at Quest Diagnostics Training Center, East Rutherford, NJ, May 28, 2025. Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PFF Puts Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll as One of Ten on the Hot Seat

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 11:00 AM ET

As the New York Giants prepare to turn the page towards the 2025 season, it may be their record that gets a clean slate after a historically miserable 3-14 showing last season. The overwhelming heat on the shoulders of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, on the other hand, isn’t going anywhere.

It’s almost impossible to put into words how astronomically bad the Giants' previous campaign was, a year in which the franchise owned arguably the league’s worst offense, heavily marred by the lack of a consistent answer at the quarterback position.

The defense showed promise at times and hopes to be the team's calling card this season. Still, most of the roster that the duo assembled was either hampered by injuries or severely lacking the talent necessary to succeed.

Despite all the weekly humiliation, the organization put themselves through as they took the gridiron and only scraped together three victories, including just one in MetLife Stadium, co-owner John Mara found just one final ounce of patience to grant to Schoen and Daboll to fix the mess they created and get the Giants back on a positive track moving forward.

With that decree in front of them, one can’t argue that the regime did their best to assemble a more respectable roster filled with some experienced veterans on both sides and capable rookie prospects, most notably quarterback Jaxson Dart, who the Giants shot up the draft board to steal in the late first round and give Daboll his first true project signal caller that he liked.

What matters most for Daboll and company now is whether that collection of new and incumbent players can look improved on the field and figure out a way to notch a few more victories this season and put New York back on a trajectory toward being relevant in the NFL again.

The pride of a historic franchise must return this season and garner the right results on the field, or many believe Mara’s hand will be forced to clean house and start over on a rebuild that’s already taken too long.

That is why Pro Football Focus just released a list of the 10 head coaches who are still very much on the hot seat entering the 2025 season, and Daboll’s name was high atop the list.

"Daboll was one of the coaches most firmly in the spotlight after a listless 2024 season in which New York finished 3-14 and with the third-overall pick. Giants ownership elected to retain Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen entering 2025, but both are under enormous pressure to turn things around," writer Bradley Locker said.

“Playing in a formidable NFC East, the Giants aren’t anticipated to make significant waves in 2025. If Big Blue can win at least seven games, it may be enough for Daboll to keep his job — especially if Dart offers promise by the end of the season. But if 2025 finishes similarly to 2024 for the organization, then a cleaning of the house will be expected.”

While Locker seems to believe that the Giants offense will be improved next season, it is precisely that unit that will tell the most about the direction the team could be headed. Daboll held nothing back at the end of last year when he stated that it’s hard to show a consistent offense when weak quarterback play limits the rest of the huddle.

After years of showing frustration with the shortcomings of Jones, whom he inherited after taking the head coaching title in 2022, Daboll now has a player he feels he can mold into a franchise star in Dart. The rookie isn’t expected to start right away, but now lies the big task of getting him ready to perform at the highest level for the moment when his name is called.

How well off a start the Giants get on with their new veteran quarterback, Russell Wilson will dictate how early the novice gunslinger’s moment comes. Wilson expects to bring his experienced deep ball passing ability to a revamped arsenal and help the offense become more explosive. Still, concerns persist over his age and turnovers that have started to creep up on him in Pittsburgh.

Daboll is placing his trust in Wilson to lead the way as he did in a 10-win stint with the Steelers in 2024. The leash will be very short, though, where the Giants will have to turn towards Dart. If things go south and he is the one saving grace that prevents a complete reset, that would be the worst-case scenario for a young quarterback earning his stripes as a pro.

The Giants liked Dart during the draft process, as he shared many of the elite characteristics that Daboll looks for in a potential quarterback, including good field vision, the ability to extend plays with his feet, and toughness in the pocket. That same blend is what could come together with the coach’s tutelage as it did for Josh Allen in Buffalo, where Daboll earned his biggest fame.

If he can translate those skills to this offense whenever he takes over, it could be the factor that offers new credence to Daboll as a quarterback whisperer and helps mitigate the potential impact that any number of wins this season might have on his future.

That said, the team’s schedule is certainly one of the toughest to ask any player to take on. They play in a division that’s loaded with impressive rosters on both sides of the ball and will have to face a handful of last year’s playoff contenders to open the campaign that was deemed the hardest in terms of strength of schedule across the entire NFL.

So, as the article suggests, if the Giants were able to squeeze out seven wins with a potential in-season appearance from Dart, who must show some growth in that stretch to build some early confidence in his ability to be the franchise guy. That would take an immense load off of Schoen and Daboll’s shoulders, knowing their roster building is working, and they’ve finally landed on a prospect at the biggest position that defines any football team the most.

Until we all find out how the story goes for the Giants this fall, it’s the overarching picture that the regime must strive to turn into reality to keep their vision intact in East Rutherford.

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