The New York Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll. But in a move that has many fans apoplectic, general manager Joe Schoen is staying and will lead the search for the franchise’s next head coach. The latest Wolf Sports YouTube video dives into why the firing of Daboll appears to be a half measure.
Firing Daboll wasn’t a controversial move. But let’s be blunt: it was a half measure.
A big part of the proud franchise’s recent problems, the one documented for all the world to see on HBO’s Hard Knocks, remains. The Giants went 20-40-1 under the Daboll/Schoen regime, and since that 9-7-1 playoff season in 2022—a run built almost entirely on the backs of the previous front office’s talent (Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence)—it’s been a steady deterioration. Going 11-33 after that first season is clear evidence that the roster overhaul has not gone well.
The Hard Knocks Fiasco That Proved Everything
If you watched the offseason edition of Hard Knocks featuring the Giants in 2024, you might have seen the continued struggles of the team coming. The operation looked to be lacking any real sense of direction or competency, and it was all encapsulated in the infamous Saquon Barkley fiasco.
Most NFL fans have at least seen the clip. Team owner John Mara voiced his valid, serious concern about losing a team captain and franchise icon to a division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. And Schoen was laughing about it.
It was an unbelievable and arguably disqualifying scene for the team’s top football decision-maker. One year later, Saquon was a Super Bowl champion with the Eagles.
Schoen let the team’s best player and undisputed leader go over a couple of million dollars—a small fraction of the salary cap—and in doing so, he directly helped a division rival win a ring. As Bill Belichick put it, “for a couple million dollars” they could’ve kept Saquon but “instead they got a guard or somebody, I don’t know.”
That offseason edition of Hard Knocks is no longer available on HBO Max (or anywhere), presumably because it was such a bad look for Schoen and the Giants. The series was apparently a one-and-done, which says a lot about the state of many front offices around the NFL.
Daboll and Schoen Should Have Been a Package
This is not to say the Giants should have kept Daboll as their head coach.
His arguable reckless handling of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, particularly the incident where he was seen barking at doctors during a concussion check, was a terrible look on multiple levels. It’s a player safety nightmare, and it’s a really bad message to send to your team—as if you can’t win without your prized rookie.
The irony of this situation is that Daboll was the only one who seemed convicted in drafting Dart in the first place. Hard Knocks showed Schoen telling Daboll, if “you guys” are right about him and “let’s roll the dice…” It was clearly Daboll’s pick.
So, the coach who was all-in on the rookie quarterback is gone, but the GM who seemed to be hedging his bets is now going to lead the search for the next coach?
What’s Next?
Schoen let a ton of talent go that’s having major success elsewhere, the front office was so uninspiring during offseason Hard Knocks that the series was seemingly taken down and we aren’t getting another season, and recent draft classes for the Giants might have been overhyped.
While Schoen is leading the head coaching search for now, don’t be surprised if it’s a full house cleaning for the Giants in 2026.
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