The New York Giants’ season continues to spiral, and head coach Brian Daboll’s job is hanging by a thread. According to WFAN’s Shaun Morash, ownership came close to firing Daboll after the team’s 33–32 collapse against the Denver Broncos on October 19, only to pull back at the last minute.
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Morash revealed on Friday that the decision was nearly made on the team plane back from Denver, “The Giants were firing Brian Daboll off the plane after the collapse in Denver. He was fired. Ownership got together and cooler heads prevailed. They decided not to fire Brian Daboll off the plane.”
Morash added that general manager Joe Schoen didn’t have the authority to make that call:
“Making the decision to fire him was not Joe Schoen in that moment, but you could surmise from there… ownership.”
The Giants’ struggles under Daboll have now spanned two seasons. Even with injuries to key players like Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, the team has fallen flat and sits at 2–7 heading into midseason. Daboll’s defensive coordinator hire, Shane Bowen, has also drawn scrutiny amid persistent inconsistency on both sides of the ball.
Despite the turmoil, there is optimism about the young core, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart and several promising skill players. However, patience within the organization appears to be wearing thin. So, if not Daboll, then who?
Former NFL columnist Gary Myers told Big Blue View that Bill Belichick would “accept the Giants’ job in a second” if offered after the season. “He loves the Giants. I mean, he loves the Giants,” Myers said. “He gets emotional and melancholy reminiscing about his Giant years.”
Belichick’s connection to New York runs deep; he joined the Giants in 1979 and rose to defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells, helping engineer the dominant defenses that captured Super Bowl XXI and XXV.
Now 73, Belichick is coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels, posting a 3–5 record in his first college season following his legendary 24-year run in New England. That tenure yielded six Super Bowl titles and 333 career NFL wins, just 14 shy of Don Shula’s all-time record. Myers noted that Belichick’s motivation to win another Super Bowl, this time without Tom Brady, remains strong. A return to the NFL would require a $1 million buyout, a figure easily manageable for the Giants.
However, Chris “C-Mac” McMonigle has urged caution should Giants owner John Mara consider bringing Belichick back.
“If John Mara literally just says, ‘Forget all this nonsense. I’m hiring the greatest head coach in football,’ it wouldn’t be my decision,” C-Mac said. “If you’re a Giant fan, you’re not at least a little excited that Bill Belichick is running the franchise again? Sure. But I don’t think it’s a great idea.”
He added that while Belichick’s résumé speaks for itself, the past few years have been turbulent:
“Who knows what’s going on with his life right now? It’s gotten weird around him — with the young girlfriend, the North Carolina thing hasn’t worked out…For all those reasons, I’d probably say don’t do it.”
Still, McMonigle acknowledged Mara’s potential desperation:
“He’s hired losing coach after losing coach after losing coach. Maybe he just says, ‘Forget it. I’m going to go with the greatest head coach ever, who wants to come back and finish where it started with the New York Giants.’”
As losses pile up, the Giants’ ownership duo of John Mara and Steve Tisch faces a monumental decision. Would they hand the keys to Belichick, who would likely demand expanded power beyond the head coach’s role, potentially diminishing Schoen’s influence? More importantly, would Giants fans want the baggage Belichick would come with?
