2025 is a critical year for Brian Daboll and the New York Giants after a 3-14 finish and a big trade on Night 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Spirits are high heading into the summer, and ownership has allowed GM Joe Schoen to operate unimpeded this offseason. However, one former NFL executive thinks the Giants need to take things more seriously.
Giants and Brian Daboll Have ‘A Lot Going On,’ According to a Former NFL Exec
The Giants went 9-7-1 and made the playoffs in 2022. Things have trended downward since, and many expected Daboll and Schoen to be let go after the 2024 season. New York held onto its brain trust, and the team has been highly aggressive this offseason.
Schoen added Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson in free agency, then drafted Abdul Carter and traded back into the first round to take Jaxson Dart. The Giants’ quarterback situation will be a storyline until Dart becomes the starter, but things are trending up for an offense that finished 31st in PFSN’s Offense+ metric.
Wilson ranked 17th in the QB+ metric after leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to another Wild Card playoff exit, and Winston finished 29th in seven entertaining starts for the Cleveland Browns. Wilson is expected to start the season, but Dart’s arrival means the clock is ticking on the 10-time Pro Bowler.
The Giants and their fans should be excited as Dart represents the future of the franchise. However, ESPN’s Louis Riddick thinks everyone needs to pump the brakes on the offseason excitement. He recently appeared on NFL Live, and ESPN tweeted a clip of Riddick’s comments.
Riddick said, “There’s a lot on the line for the Giants, there’s a lot on the line for everyone. Outside of the owner, everyone’s up for review in New York once 2026 rolls around. It’ll be interesting to see how Brian Daboll handles this. Russell [Wilson] being the starter. How fast does he bring along Jaxson Dart? How does the season start?
“What kind of role does Jameis Winston play? And ultimately, what does Jaxson look like at the end of this year, and what does the job security look like of the head coach and the general manager? It’s all fun and games now, and it’s all fun, but there’s a lot going on for this football team.”
“There’s a lot on the line for the Giants, there’s a lot on the line for everyone.”@LRiddickESPN highlights why the Giants’ upcoming season might not be all fun and games 👀 pic.twitter.com/La1EVledYI
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 18, 2025
There is credence behind what Riddick said, as New York has been an afterthought since 2022’s playoff run, but he comes across as harsh.
The Giants’ Flawed Roster Failed Them in 2024, Not Daboll’s Coaching
New York had three quarterbacks start games last season. Daniel Jones started 10 games before being released in late November; Drew Lock and Tommy Devito started the remaining contests. The team also had the fifth-worst offensive line, according to the OL+ metric.
Daboll has proven he’s a quality offensive coach who can get the best out of his quarterbacks. He laid the groundwork for Josh Allen’s electric career and helped Jones secure a big contract after his impressive 2022 campaign. However, it was borderline negligent that Schoen allowed the team to enter 2024 with such a flawed offensive roster.
Riddick’s comments will hold more weight if New York comes out flat when the regular season begins, but this is the time of year for NFL teams to have fun. Hopefully, keeping things loose now will translate to competitive play from the Giants and job security for the head coach and GM.