NFL firing season has commenced
Dennis Allen on Monday became the first head coach fired this season when the 2-7 New Orleans Saints canned Allen after a seventh straight loss.
The firing of Allen has implications for the New York Giants, and maybe for head coach Brian Daboll.
First is the notion that firing season has commenced. Allen is the second head coach fired, with the New York Jets having parted with Robert Saleh a few weeks ago.
Giants co-owner John Mara recently expressed confidence in Daboll and GM Joe Schoen, but that was not a guarantee that changes won’t be made at season’s end. Daboll is now 17-25-1 as Giants head coach. Allen was 18-25 with the Saints.
The Giants are in the midst of a second straight awful season after Daboll won Coach of the Year in 2022 for leading the Giants to the playoffs, and a playoff victory, in his rookie season of 2022.
The second is that it is noteworthy that the final straw for the Saints with Allen was Sunday’s 23-22 loss to the also 2-7 Carolina Panthers — the team the Giants play in Germany this Sunday.
The Giants play the Saints Week 14 at MetLife Stadium, so there are head-to-head implications.
The Saints, Giants and Panthers are three of the seven teams tied with league-worst 2-7 records. By strength of schedule, the Giants are currently No. 7 in the 2025 NFL Draft Order. So, everything from here on out has draft implications.
There is also the question of whether Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who has interviewed for a number of head-coaching jobs the past two offseasons, might be a candidate for the Saints job once the season ends.