Although New York Giants co-owner and team president John Mara preached patience, there is a growing sense that the organization could clean house. Mara issued a vote of confidence for general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll back in October, telling reporters that he does not anticipate any end-of-season firings.
However, a lot has changed since then. The Giants are now firmly considered the worst team in the NFL and their locker room seems to be in disarray. New York might be back on the hunt for a new general manager and head coach combo this offseason. If that happens to be the case, they could pach top decision-makers from one of the best teams in the NFL to rebuild their organization from the ground up.
Giants could target Lions assistant GM
The Detroit Lions are a powerhouse in the NFL. They have been among the best teams in the NFC for two seasons running as the coaching combination of head coach Dan Campbell, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has turned the Lions into legitimate contenders. As has their excellent front office.
General manager and executive vice president Brad Holmes has transformed the Lions’ roster. They are stacked with talent and have found a way to add value in every round of the draft, through free agency, and via trade. Alongside him is assistant general manager Ray Agnew.
Agnew is a top general manager candidate for NFL teams to consider in 2025. He could be a perfect pairing for the G-Men if they do fire general manager Joe Schoen and decide to rebuild their front office. Agnew has been with Detroit since 2021 and has been instrumental in the reconstruction of their stacked roster.
According to the Lions’ team website, Agnew assists and consults Holmes “with all functions of the player personnel department,” playing a crucial role in the building of the roster:
“Ray Agnew enters his fourth season with the Lions as assistant general manager after joining the team in 2021. Agnew assists and consults Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes with all functions of the player personnel department. Agnew continues to be a key asset in helping Holmes with roster construction and team building. His influence was an integral asset in the roster construction of the club’s 2023 team, that helped the Lions to a 12-5 record on the season.”
As far as general manager candidates go, it will be hard to find an assistant more accomplished and more worthy of a chance to sit in the big chair than Agnew. If the Giants want an executive who can rebuild their roster and overturn its talents, Agnew would be the man for the job.
The Lions have two top head coach candidates
Could Ben Johnson be the Giants’ next head coach?
If the Giants were to hire Agnew, they might not need to look far to find the team’s next head coach either. The Lions also possess two of the top head coach candidates for the upcoming cycle in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Johnson has been a hot commodity for multiple offseason now. However, the Lions’ offensive play-caller is committed to winning in Detroit and has expressed little to no interest in jumping ship to build something as a head coach elsewhere. Could New York be an attractive enough option to convince Johnson to take a head coaching job?
The Lions’ offense is one of the most explosive and most creative units in the league. Johnson is the architect behind their success. This season, Detroit has the highest-scoring offense in the NFL (31.9 points per game) and ranks top five in both rushing and passing yards per game.
“In 2023, Johnson guided the offense to rank near the top of the NFL in several major categories, finishing the season second in passing offense, third in total offense and fifth in both rushing offense and points per game. The club’s lethal offensive production was an integral part of Johnson being named a finalist for AP Assistant Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2023.”
Aaron Glenn could revamp the Giants’ defense and culture
However good of a candidate Johnson might be (and he’s a pretty damn good one), the Giants might not want to go the route of an offensive coordinator again. They’ve tried that a few times recently, hiring Ben McAdoo in 2016, Pat Shurmur in 2018, and Brian Daboll in 2022 — all former offensive coordinators. Perhaps focusing on the defensive side of the ball would be the preference this time around. Luckily, the Lions have an elite defensive coordinator as well.
Aaron Glenn is a major factor in the Lions’ success. The former Pro Bowl player turned coach has been Detroit’s defensive coordinator since 2021. Since then, he has implemented one of the best rush defenses in the NFL. The Lions only allowed 100 or more rushing yards in five games in 2023 and allowed just 3.7 yards per carry, the second-fewest yards per carry in the NFL.
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Inversely, the Giants’ run defense has been among the league’s worst over the past three seasons. Hiring Glenn, a respected player’s coach and strategist, would improve the team in that regard overnight.
If the Giants want to pluck from one of the NFL’s best teams, the Detroit Lions offer plenty of attractive options to build a new regime around. The Giants might not clean house this offseason. But if they do, expect them to express heavy interest in some of the Lions’ top off-the-field talents.
