Giants Fire Pat Shurmur

The Giants head coach is out after two seasons.

The Giants have fired head coach Pat Shurmur after only two seasons, according to NFL Network, and confirmed by a source.

Shurmur finished 9-23 in two seasons as coach of the Giants, failing to build on progress made in the final eight games of the 2018 season in which the team finished 4-4. The Giants regressed with a 4-12 record with a franchise-record tying nine-game losing streak after finishing 5-11 in 2018.

“Steve and I have had many extensive discussions about the state of the Giants,” team president John Mara said in a statement released by the team. “This morning, we made the very difficult decision that it would be in the best interest of the franchise that we relieve Pat of his duties. 

"The last three seasons have been extremely disappointing for the organization and our fans. Pat has been a successful and highly-respected NFL coach for 21 years and he is not solely responsible for our record. But we came to the conclusion it is best to have a fresh start with the coaching staff. We very much appreciate how much Pat has done for this franchise. He is a man of character and integrity and the team has conducted itself with pride and professionalism.

“As owners, we take full responsibility for our recent poor record. It is our goal to consistently deliver high-quality football and we will do everything in our power to see that there is a rapid and substantial turnaround.”

Added Steve Tisch, “The last two seasons have been a continuation of what has been a very difficult and disappointing period for our franchise. It is never easy to part with someone the caliber of Pat. But John and I came to the conclusion that we need a new voice in the coach’s office and made the decision to bring in new leadership.

“We understand how frustrated our fans are. They expect more from us and we expect more from ourselves. Our focus now is on developing and improving our football team so that our fans can enjoy the winning team they expect and deserve.”

The Giants start this season 0-2, prompting Shurmur to bench long-time starting quarterback Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP on the downside of his career, and go with rookie first-round pick Daniel Jones. 

Jones won his first two starts, but the Giants, under the weight of a heavy rebuild laced with youth, would only go on to win two more games.  

Shurmur's.292 winning percentage as a head coach is the lowest rate among active head coaches.  

The Giants will now look for their third head coach since Tom Coughlin stepped down in 2015. They hold the fourth pick in the April college draft.