Brian Daboll is back on the hot seat as the head coach of the New York Giants. HIs team enters Week 6 and the tough "Thursday Night Football" NFC East home game vs. the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at 1-4 for the 2025 NFL season.
The Giants made the playoffs as a 9-7-1 wild-card team in Daboll's first season in 2022, and also upset the Vikings to make the divisional around. Since then, however, the team has gone 11-29 in two-plus regular seasons with him at the helm.
With the mild rise but fall again of quarterback Daniel Jones — now crushing it as a castoff leading the Indianapolis Colts' offense — Daboll was given a reprieve and a chance to work well with Jones' first-round rookie QB replacement, Jaxson Dart.
Dart provided a spark when the Giants upset the Chargers at home in Week 4. But then the team melted down with an all too familiar turnover mess as favorites against the Saints in Week 5. With a mini bye upcoming ahead of more downward trajectory through a tough schedule, moving on from Daboll can happen soon.
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Whenever that happens in late '25 or early '26, here's looking at the best possible full-time replacements for him.
Giants' best coaching candidates
Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders offensive coordinator (age: 46)
Kingsbury, the former Cardinals head coach, has done wonders working with dual-threat QBs Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels. That would make the ideal play-caller to attach to Dart to maximize his ability as a quick runner and downfield passer. It would also weaken a rising power in the division.
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Anthony Campanile, Jaguars defensive coordinator (age: 42)
Campanile is a New Jersey guy all the way, having played and coached at Rutgers. He had strong positional defensive stints at Michigan, the Dolphins and the Packers before being elevated to Jacksonville's play-caller. He has gotten much more out of a talent young defense in the way of making them a takeaway force. Campanile should have a lot of intrigue about returning to his home state and the feeling should be mutual with the Giants.
Jeff Hafley, Packers defensive coordinator (age: 46)
The Giants once won a couple of Super Bowls with a former Boston College head coach in legend Tom Coughlin. Hafley should be elevated back to that position on the NFL level after his fine work with the Packers, now armed with Micah Parsons. Hafley is also a New Jersey native who played at nearby Siena in college.
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Joe Brady, Bills offensive coordinator (age: 36)
Brady is a hot name for his bang-up work with reigning MVP and MVP front-runner again Allen. Would the Giants not want to go after an Allen OC a second time after things not working with Daboll? That could be a factor, but Brady's youthful energy might be a difference in going back to the well.
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Bill Belichick, North Carolina head coach (age: 73)
Here we go again. Belichick, before getting his NFL coaching gigs with the Browns and Patriots, was the dominant defensive coordinator with Bill Packers and the two-time Super Bowl-winning Giants. Could he take a shot on working with Dart to try to pass Don Shula for long-time wins? Any pro gig can't be ruled out, despite his age.
MORE: Tracking latest Bill Belichick rumors at UNC