Brian Daboll might be coaching for his job.
The New York Giants will carry a 2-8 record into Sunday’s home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If New York falls to 2-9, calls for Daboll’s job will grow even louder. And a victory won’t come easy, as the Giants will start Tommy DeVito at quarterback after benching Daniel Jones earlier this week.
But what are the actual chances of Daboll being fired before the end of the season? Let’s look at all the factors in play.
Looking at Brian Daboll’s Time in New York
When Daboll joined the Giants in 2022, he was viewed as a home-run hire.
Following his successful four-year run as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator, Daboll was tasked with revitalizing New York’s offense and getting the most out of young quarterback Jones, as he did with Josh Allen.
And the early returns were excellent, as the Giants went from 4-13 in 2021 to 9-7-1 in Daboll’s first season. New York qualified for the postseason and beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card round before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round.
The Giants reverted to 6-11 in 2023, but Daboll received a pass because Jones missed most of the campaign due to a torn ACL. If anything, the Giants performed to the capabilities of their subpar roster.
Fans and the front office hoped New York would turn things around with Jones back under center. Instead, the Giants went 2-8 in their first 10 games, and Jones was benched — likely permanently — ahead of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.
It would be easy to pin New York’s struggles on Jones and the failures of general manager Joe Schoen. However, the on-field product has been an all-around disaster — and that falls on Daboll.
Entering Week 12, the Giants ranked a decent 11th in Pro Football Network’s Defense+ metric (C+) but ranked 16th in points allowed per game. New York graded 30th (D-) in PFN’s Offense+ metric, and their special teams unit ranked 30th in FTN Fantasy’s DVOA metric.
Still, for now, it seems like Daboll isn’t in danger of being fired before the end of the season.
“Sources: While ownership has suggested he’ll return, there is a growing sense that Giants HC Brian Daboll is coaching for his job over the final seven games,” FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported Monday. “That’s part of why he chose Tommy DeVito over Drew Lock as the starting QB.”
Sources: While ownership has suggested he’ll return, there is a growing sense that #Giants HC Brian Daboll is coaching for his job over the final seven games.
That’s part of why he chose Tommy DeVito over Drew Lock as the starting QB.
More info: The relationship between Daniel… pic.twitter.com/PDhcuAJOS8
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 18, 2024
Daboll is a better coach than his record indicates, and there’s no denying he’s been dealt a tough hand in New York. You could argue he deserves at least one more season with a quarterback of his choosing, perhaps one selected near the top of the 2025 NFL Draft.
But if New York’s season spirals even further out of control, someone would need to be the fall guy. And history tells us the head coach would be the scapegoat.
Has Daboll Been Fired Before?
This would be Daboll’s first firing as an NFL head coach. However, he essentially was dismissed after three previous stints as an assistant.
In 2007, Daboll was hired as a quarterbacks coach by the New York Jets under head coach Eric Mangini. After the 2008 season, Mangini was fired and Daboll wasn’t retained under new head coach Rex Ryan.
Daboll was hired as the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator in 2011 under head coach Tony Sparano. After a 4-9 start, the Dolphins fired Sparano and chose not to retain Daboll under new head coach Joe Philbin.
In 2012, the Kansas City Chiefs hired Daboll as their next offensive coordinator under head coach Romeo Crennel. The Chiefs fired Crennel after a 2-14 season and didn’t retain Daboll under new head coach Andy Reid.