Giants fire Brian Daboll: Revisiting owner John Mara’s offseason comments and what went wrong

After finishing the 2024 season with a franchise-worst 3-14 record and starting the 2025 campaign 2-8, the Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll on Monday.

At an end-of-season press conference in January, Giants president and owner John Mara expressed his disappointment in the team but maintained confidence in Daboll. Mara, however, stopped short of guaranteeing job security for either Daboll or general manager Joe Schoen.

By Monday, it was clear Mara had reached his limit. Daboll became the team’s third head coach fired midseason — and the first since Ben McAdoo in 2017. 

After a 9-7-1 record and a Coach of the Year award in 2022, Daboll and the Giants went 11-33 over the next two and a half seasons. Along with the firing, the Giants announced that offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over as Interim head coach. 

Let’s revisit Mara’s comments from January and see how those areas look now.

Revisiting Giants owner's comments after Brian Daboll's firing

Mara: "That's obviously the No. 1 issue for us going into this offseason, is to find our quarterback of the future. Whether that be via the draft or acquiring a veteran, it's going to be up to them to decide, ultimately."

Up to this point, it seems clear that the Giants have addressed this issue and they have Daboll to thank for it. In April, Daboll was the driving force behind the drafting of Jaxson Dart. 

Through his first seven career starts, Giants fans are enamored with Dart. With 10 touchdown passes (and only three interceptions) and seven rushing TDs, Dart has proved that he can be the team's QB of the future. 

The worry: The firing of Daboll could potentially hinder Darts' growth. Dart has shown incredible promise through seven games and needs consistency from his coaches. 

The good news? Kafka was already the Giants' play caller and can expect to continue for the rest of the season. 

Mara: "Quite frankly, I didn't think our defense played very well this year at all. I know that when you have an offense that performs like that, you're putting more pressure on your defense. But we need to make improvements there. I'm tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us."

Last season,  the Giants allowed the 12th-most points (415), the ninth-most total yards (5,896) and the sixth-most rushing yards (2,316) in the NFL — while forcing just 15 turnovers, the fifth fewest in the league.

Mara’s frustration was justified. The defense surrendered 24.4 points per game — not the league’s worst mark, but difficult to overcome when the offense managed only 16 points per contest.

This year, the script has flipped. The Giants are scoring 23.6 points under Dart, but the defense has been even worse, putting added pressure on the offense.

Through the first 10 games, the Giants have allowed the fourth-most points (273), the third-most total yards (3,830), the fifth-most passing yards (2,309) and the most rushing yards in the NFL (1,521) — while ranking in the bottom four with just six takeaways.

The defense has regressed from subpar to dreadful in a year’s time, putting defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s job in serious jeopardy. Given those numbers, it’s not surprising Daboll was the first to go.

Looking ahead, the Giants must overhaul their defense this offseason. They’ve found their quarterback of the future in Dart — now they need the head coach of the future, someone who can grow alongside him and restore the franchise’s credibility.