Sportsnaut
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier have been the focus of reports this week about who will be fired first in the NFL. However, New York Giants coach Brian Daboll reportedly could challenge them to be the first major axing of the 2025 NFL season.
According to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s job security is “hanging on by a thread” right now. To make matters worse, the environment in the Giants’ locker room reportedly already reflects an understanding that firings could be coming.
Related: 2026 NFL Draft Order after Week 2, Giants Draft Picks 2026
“The mood in the locker room has changed from trying to stay upbeat to the realization that the team must win, and win soon, or both could be out the door before the season ends.”
Tony Pauline on the mood of the New York Giants locker room after Week 2
Daboll won NFL Coach of the Year in 2022, seemingly unlocking quarterback Daniel Jones and helping the Giants reach the playoffs for the first time in six years. However, the team has derailed in recent seasons, with signs of deeper problems even surfacing during that 2022 campaign.
After entering Week 11 of the 2022 season with a 7-2 record, the Giants have gone 11-32-1 (.250 winning percentage) since. From 2023 through Week 2 of the current season, New York has a –301 point differential, with an offense that ranks 30th in EPA per Play (-0.117) and in Success Rate (39.8 percent).
In January, team president John Mara announced that Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen would return for the 2025 NFL season. However, he also admitted shortly afterward that he was nearly “out of patience” with the coach-general manager duo.
Read More: NFL Trade Candidates 2025, including Giants’ Defender
What further decreases the likelihood of Daboll sticking around is the upcoming Giants’ schedule. From Weeks 3 through 12, New York faces the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions. There’s a viable chance that the Giants will enter their Week 14 bye with only one or two wins.
Midseason firings have been rare for the Mara family, but Daboll’s team already seems to be on the verge of its third consecutive season with double-digit losses. At least for now, it appears Daboll and the second defensive coordinator of his tenure will be the first to go. However, the possibility remains that Schoen could be let go at the end of the season.
More must-reads:
