Giants’ Top Candidates to Replace Brian Daboll Include Three Former Head Coaches

Who will the Giants hire this offseason?

Mike McCarthy owns a career record of 174–112–2 over 18 seasons as a head coach. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

For the fifth time in the last 10 years, the Giants are searching for a new head coach.

New York fired Brian Daboll on Nov. 10 following a 2–8 start to the 2025 campaign. They handed the keys over to interim coach Mike Kafka, who hasn’t done much better, winning just one of six games at the helm. If the Giants lose to the Cowboys on Sunday in Week 18, they will be in position to claim a top-two pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

So, where do the Giants go from here? Their last three full-time head coaches were two offensive minds in Daboll and Pat Schurmur and a longtime assistant coach and special teams coordinator under Bill Belichick, Joe Judge.

Back in November, Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote the Giants’ gig is perhaps the most intriguing job open in this upcoming NFL coaching cycle. New York is loaded with young offensive talent, notably quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo, and a defense that boasts No. 3 pick Abdul Carter and pass-rushing phenom Brian Burns.

It’s very possible the Giants have their pick of the candidates up for new jobs.

In that piece, Orr listed a few big names as potential candidates for the Giants’ job—Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and NFL legend Bill Belichick, to name a few. On Friday, ESPN’s Giants insider Jordan Raanan published a long list of coaching candidates the Giants will consider this offseason—one that included two former NFL coaches that don’t currently have a job in the league.

Former Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy topped the list. McCarthy was fired by the Cowboys following the 2024 season in which they went 7–10 and missed the playoffs while quarterback Dak Prescott missed nine games with a hamstring injury. Dallas made the playoffs in three of five years under McCarthy and won the NFC East twice in 2021 and ‘23.

The other former NFL coach currently out of the league listed as a candidate by both Orr and Raanan? Former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. Pierce took over the job after Josh McDaniels was fired in Week 8 of the 2023 season. Over 26 games as head coach, Pierce led the Raiders to a 9–17 record and was fired after the ‘24 campaign. Las Vegas went on to hire Pete Carroll, who isn’t having any better luck in Sin City this season and might be out of a job sooner than later.

The other candidate listed by ESPN with prior head coach experience is Vance Joseph, the current defensive coordinator in Denver. Joseph led the Broncos as the head coach for two seasons in 2017 and ‘18, but Denver went 11–21 in his watch. He was fired after the 2018 campaign and has been the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals and Broncos ever since.

There’s still much to be sorted out in the upcoming coaching cycle with “Black Monday,” the day following Week 18 where most firings happen, looming next week. Perhaps a current head coach becomes available (Mike McDaniel or Kevin Stefanski, maybe?) and moves up the Giants’ list.

Either way, New York has a big decision to make, and it appears the Giants have one of the better young cores among teams looking for a new man on the sidelines for 2026 and beyond.

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