Having fired Brian Daboll on Monday, the 2-8 Giants are in the early stages of finding their next head coach. Mike Kafka will finish the season on an interim basis after a promotion from offensive coordinator. However, barring shockingly strong results from Kafka, it seems probable that Daboll’s successor will come from outside the organization.
General manager Joe Schoen, who hired Daboll in 2022, is leading the search for his replacement. Schoen and Giants ownership haven’t had “serious meetings” about the traits they want in their new head coach, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. For his part, Schoen isn’t guaranteed to remain with the organization for the long haul. He’s only under contract through 2026. The Giants will review Schoen’s work at the end of this season, but the belief around the NFL is that he’ll remain in place, Russini reports.
As for who Schoen will hire, there’s no doubt that plenty of potential candidates will come up in connection to New York’s opening in the coming weeks. The Giants “already have a shortlist of candidates,” Russini writes. It doesn’t include North Carolina’s Bill Belichick, according to Russini. Belichick issued a statement Friday saying he’s not interested in the Giants’ job or any other NFL opportunity that may come along. The Giants didn’t contact Belichick before he shot down a possible return to the pros, and it seems doubtful they were ever going to pursue him.
While Belichick isn’t in the mix, one early name to keep an eye on is Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. The soon-to-be 40-year-old could become the latest successful college coach to try his hand in the NFL.
If Freeman is interested in the job, there’s “some buzz” that the Giants may talk to him, per Dan Graziano of ESPN. Meanwhile, Dan Duggan of The Athletic regards Freeman as an early front-runner for the position, placing him behind Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and the out-of-work Mike McCarthy.
Freeman has gone 40-12 with the Fighting Irish since the former linebacker took over for the fired Brian Kelly in December 2021. He guided Notre Dame to the national championship game last season, but the team suffered a 34-23 defeat to Ohio State. Just days before Freeman & Co. lost to the Buckeyes in January, the Bears reportedly sought an interview with him. That didn’t come to fruition, though, and the Bears ended up hiring Ben Johnson.
Anarumo, a well-respected coordinator, has been a popular figure in the rumor mill since the Giants moved on from Daboll. The Staten Island native is a former Giants assistant who was a candidate for the HC job before Daboll landed it. Anarumo’s son currently works for the Giants as a pro scout.
McCarthy, 62, brings vast experience as a head coach. His teams have gone an impressive 174-112-2 in the regular season. He led the Packers from 2006-18, winning one Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers during that 13-year period, and the Cowboys from 2020-24.
In limbo with the Cowboys last winter before Jerry Jones replaced him with Brian Schottenheimer, McCarthy interviewed with Chicago and New Orleans. After he began losing ground with the Saints, who chose Kellen Moore, McCarthy withdrew as a candidate. He hasn’t found another job since then, though perhaps the Giants will look in his direction.
The Johnson pick has worked out so far for the Bears, who are 6-3 and already guaranteed a better record than last year’s 5-12 mark. If they make the right hire, the Giants may have a chance to enjoy a similar turnaround in 2026.
Why not think outside the box? Joe Judge worked out great.
Joe Judge was a “Belichick product”
Marcus Freeman is a great college HC
…yeah, because the two coaches are such totally relevant comparisons.
Personally, I’d like to see the Giants roll with Morgan Freeman as their HC. His debut locker room speech to the players could go something like this…link to movie-sounds.org
Freeman is young enough to try his hand at the next level & return if it doesn’t work out. I’ve heard the Lane Train might make his next stop at the New Jersey swamp instead of the Florida or Louisiana one’s. He would be entertaining if nothing else.
Surprised they haven’t floated the name of Lane Kiffin yet. He used to coach Jaxson Dart in college.