New York Giants co-owner and team president John Mara issued a vote of confidence for his general manager and head coach duo back in October, stating to the media that he does not anticipate any end-of-season firings. That could change, though.
The Giants could be preparing to fire HC Brian Daboll
The Giants are on an embarrassing seven-game losing streak. They are widely considered to be the worst team in the NFL and have a grueling five games remaining on their schedule to close out the season. Would head coach Brian Daboll really survive this season if his team lost 12 games straight to finish the year? That seems unlikely.
Who would even want to coach the Giants?
If the Giants keep losing out, Daboll could very well be fired at the end of the campaign. New York would then be back in the market for a head coach for the fifth time since moving on from franchise legend Tom Coughlin in 2015.
Considering the short leash Giants head coaches have, one has to wonder, which legitimate candidate would even want to take this job? The Giants are a historic, storied franchise; or at least they were. The last 10 years have been 10 years of misery and embarrassment with only a couple of bright moments in the darkness.
If Daboll were to be fired, that would mean that each of the Giants’ last four head coaches have been fired after three seasons or less. Considering the extreme level of dysfunction within the organization, top head coaching candidates may opt to avoid the Big Apple this offseason. But that shouldn’t stop the Giants from trying to lure an elite candidate from Detroit.
The Giants should pursue Lions OC Ben Johnson if they fire Daboll
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is expected to be the NFL’s top head coaching candidate this offseason. He has led the Lions’ offense to historic heights since taking over that job in 2022. Johnson was named a finalist for AP Assistant Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2023.
That season, Johnson’s offense finished the season second in passing offense, third in total offense, and fifth in both rushing offense and points per game. The Lions’ offense tied two single-season NFL records for the most games with a rushing touchdown (16) and the most games with at least one passing and rushing touchdown (16), per the team’s official website.
Johnson has the Lions’ offense near the top of the league again this season. Detroit ranks second in total yards per game (394.8), third in passing yards per game (243.8), fourth in rushing yards per game (151.1), and first in points per game (32.1). Johnson’s creativity and playcalling have transformed the Lions into one of the NFL’s most exciting and pleasurable teams to watch on Sundays, Thursdays, and Mondays.
The Giants would undoubtedly be interested in Johnson if they fire Daboll. Johnson is viewed as one of the NFL’s brightest minds. He is an excellent leader and exceptional strategist. He would be considered a slam-dunk hire for any team. But would Johnson even consider taking the Giants’ job?
Johnson is expected to be picky with his head coaching interviews
Johnson has had his fair share of opportunities to become a head coach over the last two offseasons. However, adamant that he will only leave Detroit for the perfect opportunity, Johnson has foregone his chances to take on a big chair and is exercising patience. He only wants to go to a team that he believes he can win with, and the Giants might not be one of those candidates.
According to insider Albert Breer, Johnson will be looking for “recognition from the organization of the things that have gone wrong and a willingness to fix them” while interviewing for head coaching jobs. Rather than teams interviewing Johnson, he will likely be doing the majority of the questioning, interviewing the teams in a role reversal. He won’t “chase interviews” this offseason and will only take on interview opportunities for jobs that he has a serious interest in filling.
Considering the perceived lack of job security Giants head coaches have, would a picky candidate such as Johnson even be interested in taking this job? The Giants would need to give Johnson one hell of a sales pitch if they hope to land him as the top candidate in this head coach cycle.
