Lead
Brian Daboll, 50, was seen Tuesday in snowy New Jersey for the first time since the New York Giants announced his dismissal on Monday, November 10, 2025. Witnesses and photos show Daboll leaving his residence bundled in gray pants and a navy Penn State hoodie. His firing followed the Giants’ 24-20 loss at Chicago on Sunday, a collapse in the fourth quarter that completed another disappointing stretch for the franchise. The club named offensive coordinator Mike Kafka interim head coach while general manager Joe Schoen remains in place.
Key Takeaways
- Brian Daboll, 50, was photographed Tuesday in New Jersey after the Giants fired him on Monday, November 10, 2025.
- The dismissal came after a 24-20 road loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, during which the Giants surrendered a late lead.
- Daboll finished his Giants tenure with a 20-40-1 record and had been in charge for four seasons.
- He was previously named NFL Coach of the Year following the 2022 season that included a playoff appearance.
- Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has been appointed interim head coach; GM Joe Schoen, hired in 2022 alongside Daboll, remains in his role.
- The Giants are 2-8 this season, marking a third straight year with slow starts and mounting roster questions.
Background
The Giants hired Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen in 2022 as part of a front-office and coaching reset aimed at returning the franchise to playoff contention. Daboll’s 2022 campaign delivered a playoff berth and earned him NFL Coach of the Year honors, raising expectations among ownership and fans. Those expectations have since become a measuring stick: inconsistent play, late-game collapses and trouble sustaining offensive production put pressure on the coaching staff across subsequent seasons.
By 2025 the team’s trajectory had faltered; the club entered the November stretch with a 2-8 record, a mark that reflected ongoing personnel and schematic issues. Ownership has few short-term levers beyond coaching changes and roster moves, and the decision to relieve Daboll signals a desire to reset direction before the offseason. Fans and analysts had debated the causes—roster construction, injuries and play-calling among them—making the move a focal point for wider organizational evaluation.
Main Event
The sequence that led to Daboll’s exit began with Sunday’s 24-20 loss in Chicago, where the Giants surrendered a fourth-quarter lead. Team owners John Mara and Steve Tisch issued a joint statement on Monday explaining the decision and promising a renewed effort to improve results. Photos taken Tuesday show Daboll leaving a New Jersey residence wearing a navy Penn State hoodie and gray pants, a quiet public appearance that came less than 24 hours after the firing was announced.
The club promptly installed offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as interim head coach, indicating an internal short-term solution while the franchise evaluates long-term options. Joe Schoen, the general manager hired alongside Daboll in 2022, retains his position — a sign ownership is keeping some continuity at the personnel-management level. The move leaves the organization to weigh whether the next permanent hire will follow the philosophical approach begun in 2022 or pivot to a different model.
Local media and social channels reacted quickly to images of Daboll and to the ownership statement; coverage has emphasized both the abruptness of the decision and the broader pattern of late-season failures. The club’s immediate priorities are stabilizing game-day preparation under Kafka, addressing player morale and beginning a transparent search process for a long-term head coach.
Analysis & Implications
On-field performance is the proximate cause for most coaching changes, and the Giants’ repeated late-game breakdowns this season crystallized ownership’s calculus. A 20-40-1 record over four seasons, combined with a 2-8 mark in 2025, points to a team that has not made the consistent progress the front office and fan base expected after the 2022 breakthrough. For ownership, the firing is as much about signaling accountability as it is about changing daily preparation and strategy.
For Joe Schoen, retention means he will lead—or at least participate closely in—the upcoming coaching search. That creates both continuity and scrutiny: Schoen’s draft choices, free-agent moves and roster construction will be analyzed alongside candidates for head coach. If the organization seeks a different offensive or defensive identity, that will shape the candidate pool and the timeline for a full rebuild or retool.
Short-term, installing an interim coach aims to steady the locker room and give the front office time to conduct a thorough search. Long-term implications depend on whether ownership remains patient with a multi-year rebuild or opts for quicker, more aggressive turnover in personnel and philosophy. The NFL coaching market and available candidates in 2025 will influence the franchise’s options and the likelihood of a rapid turnaround.
Financial and roster considerations are also relevant: changes behind the bench can affect free-agent targets, coordinator retention and player morale, all of which feed into future cap planning and draft strategy. How the Giants balance immediate competitiveness with sustainable roster building will be a central storyline through the offseason and into 2026.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Daboll tenure record | 20-40-1 |
| Giants 2025 record (to date) | 2-8 |
The table above highlights the two headline metrics cited by team and media coverage: Daboll’s cumulative record with the Giants (20-40-1) and the club’s 2-8 start in 2025. Those figures frame ownership’s decision and provide a quantitative baseline for comparing potential replacement candidates and organizational strategies.
Reactions & Quotes
“The past few seasons have been nothing short of disappointing, and we have not met our expectations for this franchise.”
Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch (joint statement)
“We understand the frustrations of our fans, and we will work to deliver a significantly improved product.”
Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch (joint statement)
“Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has been named interim head coach while GM Joe Schoen remains in his role.”
New York Post (media report)
Unconfirmed
- Any specific internal disagreements between Daboll and the front office beyond public statements have not been independently confirmed.
- There is no verified report yet on whether the Giants will pursue a coach with a markedly different offensive scheme; options and priorities remain unannounced.
- Rumors about potential next jobs for Brian Daboll or formal offers from other clubs are unconfirmed at the time of reporting.
Bottom Line
Brian Daboll’s public sighting in New Jersey came amid a swift organizational decision by the Giants to change head coaches after a season-defining collapse in Chicago and a 2-8 start to 2025. The move closes a four-year chapter that included a 2022 playoff run and Coach of the Year award but ultimately produced a 20-40-1 record. Ownership framed the firing as necessary to meet franchise expectations and address fan frustration.
In the near term, Mike Kafka’s interim appointment is designed to provide stability while the front office evaluates permanent leadership options. The way the Giants conduct that search—and how they balance immediate competitiveness with longer-term roster building—will determine whether this firing marks the start of a sustainable reset or merely a short-term corrective action.
Sources
- New York Post (media report and photo coverage)