Giants GM Joe Schoen To Lead HC Search

Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll joined the organization together in 2022, but they’re not leaving as a package deal. After Daboll steered the Giants to a 20-40-1 record, including a 2-8 start this year, they fired him on Monday. Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch agreed it was time to move on from Daboll during a phone conversation on Monday morning, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.

Mara and Tisch made the decision to choose offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as the Giants’ interim head coach, according to Schwartz. The team later announced that Schoen is staying on to lead the search for a full-time successor to Daboll.

“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” said Mara. Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect.”

The Giants’ official statement will be the last time they address the Daboll firing for now, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports. They’re not planning to make ownership or Schoen available for interviews this week.

This isn’t the ending the Giants envisioned when the Schoen/Daboll reign began in promising fashion in 2022. The Giants went 9-7-1 and won a wild-card playoff game over the Vikings before losing to the Eagles in the divisional round. Daboll earned Coach of the Year honors.

New York has posted horrid results over the past two-plus years, but Mara and Tisch continue to hold Schoen in high regard, per Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. Giants ownership is of the belief that Schoen has been a significant upgrade over predecessor Dave Gettleman, who was at the helm from 2018-21. The Giants stumbled to a 19-46 mark under Gettleman and failed to earn a playoff berth.

Although the team Schoen has assembled will miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Giants have enough talent to make their head coaching job a “coveted” opening, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says. A new head coach stands to inherit first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers, co-NFL sacks leader Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Dexter Lawrence, among other enticing pieces.

While it could be a couple of months before the Giants name their next head coach, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, and Colts DC Lou Anarumo are among names to watch, Rapoport relays.

Spagnuolo has won four Super Bowls as a coordinator, including one with the Giants under Tom Coughlin, but he finished an ugly 10-38 as the St. Louis Rams’ head coach from 2009-11. Spagnuolo then went 1-3 as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017, briefly taking over after the firing of Ben McAdoo.

Pierce had a great run as a Giants linebacker from 2005-09, winning a title as part of a Spagnuolo-coached defense. Like Spagnuolo, though, Pierce’s initial experience as an NFL head coach didn’t go well. The Raiders dismissed Pierce last January after going 9-17 under him in parts of two seasons.

Anarumo is a Staten Island native who worked as the Giants’ defensive backs coach in 2018. His son currently serves as a pro scout in the organization, Vacchiano notes. Anarumo, then the Bengals’ D-coordinator, interviewed for the Giants’ head coaching job before it went to Daboll. The longtime assistant “left a strong impression” during that meeting, sources told Vacchiano. With Anarumo an important part of the Colts’ unexpected turnaround this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants or other teams in the market for a head coach speak with him in the coming months.

Jon Runyan Jr., Devin Singletary, Graham Gano Among Giants’ Cut Candidates

The Giants fell to 2-8 on the year thanks to another blown fourth-quarter lead. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is in danger of missing Week 11 due to a concussion, and questions continue to linger about the job security of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, a number of key decisions will need to be made after the season ends. Several veterans represent strong candidates to be released in cost-shedding moves with or without a new regime in place. As Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes, there are at least a few who are locks to be let go this offseason.

Among those is guard Jon Runyan Jr., running back Devin Singletary and kicker Graham GanoRunyan signed with the Giants in free agency in 2024 after playing out his rookie contract with the Packers. The 28-year-old has served as a starter during his time in New York, but he has not managed to live up to expectations. Runyan is not owed any guaranteed salary for 2026, the final year of his deal. A release would create $9.25MM in cap savings while only generating $2.5MM in dead money.

Singletary spent one season in Houston after his four-year run in Buffalo came to an end. With the Giants in need of a Saquon Barkley replacement, he inked a three-year contract featuring $9.5MM in guarantees. That agreement did not result in an RB1 workload for Singletary with his new team, however. He logged a rotational role during his debut New York campaign before seeing his workload reduced even further in 2025. With Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo each on their rookie deals, cutting Singletary (and saving $5.25MM in the process) would come as little surprise.

Gano has been a consistent contributor when healthy over the course of his Giants tenure, but injuries have been an issue dating back to 2023. The 38-year-old has only played in 23 games across the past three seasons and Slater deems him a “sure thing” to be released. Doing so would yield $4.5MM in savings against a dead money charge of only $1.25MM.

Plenty of other moves will be made ahead of the 2026 campaign, but as Slater notes the Giants are currently projected to be in the bottom half of the league in terms of cap space for next year. The team’s financial outlook will change dramatically if a major roster rest is pursued, but in any case those three cut candidates could very well find themselves on the move relatively soon.

Giants QB Jaxson Dart Suffers Concussion

A late blown lead resulted in another loss for the Giants. The team’s ability to rebound next week could be hampered by an injury at the quarterback spot.

Jaxson Dart fumbled late in the third quarter of today’s game against the Bears. He was not initially evaluated on the sidelines after his head hit the field on the play and returned to the game during New York’s next possession. During the period between quarters, however, the rookie was tested in the medical tent before being taken to the locker room.

Shortly thereafter, Dart was officially ruled out of the contest with a concussion. The Giants’ offense was led by Russell Wilson the rest of the way. Despite leading by 10 points with less than four minutes remaining, New York wound up losing 24-20. That marks another close loss on the part of the Giants, a team whose offense is already without top receiver Malik Nabers and impressive running back Cam Skattebo.

It is likely Dart will be unavailable as well for Week 11. A path exists for players in concussion protocol to clear the required steps in time to play the following week, but absences spanning at least one game are commonplace. Presuming Dart is indeed sidelined for the next contest, the Giants will turn to Wilson as their starter once again.

That setup was in place at the start of the campaign, but as expected Dart took over QB1 duties in short order. Sunday marked the first-rounder’s seventh start of the season, although it included a continuation of a playing style many feared would result in an injury. In part due to the absences of Nabers and Skattebo, Dart has taken plenty of hits during his time in the lineup. Observers warned about injuries being an increased risk in his case, and he is now on track to miss time. The Giants were fined for their handling of Dart’s previous trip to the medical tent, but a repeat of that discipline should not be expected.

Wilson is a pending free agent, but the Giants elected to keep him past the trade deadline. Fellow veteran Jameis Winston – who is under contract through 2026 and hopes to remain with the team – will handle backup duties provided Dart is unable to suit up. Attention will turn to the latter’s recovery process before the Giants look to continue his development.

Latest On Sauce Gardner Trade; Jets HC Aaron Glenn’s Job Is Safe

The Jets’ deadline trade sending cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts in exchange for a 2026 first-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder, and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell caught many by surprise. However, the foundation for those types of deals is typically laid well in advance of the agreement itself. That is exactly what happened here, as multiple reporters, including Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic (subscription required), detail that the framework of the Gardner deal – and the other swaps New York made – began to take shape in Week 4.

At that time, GM Darren Mougey and his staff began to hold weekly meetings to discuss, among other things, the trade value of each player on the roster. The idea was to avoid recency bias as the November 4 deadline approached and other clubs began making trade offers.

So, although ESPN’s Rich Cimini says the Jets never intended to move Gardner – whom they signed to a four-year, $120.4MM contract extension in July – they did establish what it would take to consider trading him if an offer came in. Per Cimini and Albert Breer of SI.com, that price was indeed two first-rounders and a quality player.

After the Colts’ Week 6 victory over the Cardinals improved their record to 5-1, Breer says Indianapolis’ assistant GM, Ed Dodds, placed calls around the league seeking CB help (Charvarius Ward suffered a concussion prior to the Arizona contest and landed on injured reserve as a result, and rookie Justin Walley sustained a season-ending ACL tear in August). Dodds’ efforts led him to Mougey, who indicated he would listen to offers on anyone on the roster, even if he was not actively looking to trade certain players.

Mougey and Colts GM Chris Ballard then discussed the possibility of a Gardner trade. While Cimini says Ballard initially balked at the asking price, Mougey himself noted Indianapolis’ offers “kept getting richer and richer.” The Colts inquired on the Giants’ Deonte Banks (per Cimini) and the Saints’ Alontae Taylor (as previously reported), but Gardner is on an entirely different tier. 

As Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon put it during a conversation with Ballard on the eve of the deadline, “[d]o you want to Band-Aid [the cornerback position] or fix it for the long-term?” (via Breer). When Ballard explained how valuable Gardner could be, particularly considering the importance of CBs in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme, Irsay-Gordon agreed the long-term fix was the right choice.

According to Cimini, the Jets were emphatic about including Mitchell in the trade. Breer adds Indianapolis grew increasingly amenable to moving the 2024 second-rounder, who had become an afterthought in the team’s offense. With the Jets high on Mitchell and the Colts prepared to move on, all of the pieces for the Gardner trade were in place.

Of course, Gardner was not the only elite defender Mougey jettisoned at the deadline. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was sent to the Cowboys in a swap that netted the Jets DT Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-rounder, and the higher of Dallas’ two 2027 first-rounders. Per Breer, Mougey knew the Cowboys would not give back everything they had gotten in the offseason Micah Parsons trade, which is one of the reasons why the GM began to consider a first-rounder in 2027 instead of 2026. The other reason is that he and his staff believe the ‘27 draft class offers more promise than the ‘26 crop. Now, thanks to the Gardner and Williams deals, the Jets have three first-round selections (including their own) in a year they consider to be rife with quality prospects.

Both Brian Costello of the New York Post and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network write that head coach Aaron Glenn was heavily involved in the trade discussions, which bolsters Rapoport’s report that Glenn will not be a one-and-done coach. Owner Woody Johnson recently called Glenn “the real deal,” and sources tell Rapoport that Glenn will not be judged by the Jets’ 2025 record and will be given a chance to guide the club through its rebuild.

Johnson has a history of being something of a meddlesome owner, but Cimini suggests that was not the case at this year’s deadline. Instead, when his first-year GM and HC told him of the plan to trade Gardner mere months after authorizing a lucrative extension for him, Johnson simply reaffirmed his faith in his top power brokers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/25

Several teams around the NFL made tweaks to their rosters on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s slate of games. Here are all the latest moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Week 10 will mark the debut for both players the Chargers gave the IR-designated for return label during roster cutdowns in August. Their activations had already been accounted for, but Hand’s had not. With those three now back in the fold, the Bolts have three IR activations remaining on the season.

Giants’ Graham Gano Battling Neck Injury; Younghoe Koo Likely To Kick Sunday

NOVEMBER 7: Gano is not taking part in Friday’s practice. To little surprise, then, Daboll said (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan) he “assumes” it will be Koo handling kicking duties in Week 10.

NOVEMBER 6: Injuries have been a frequent problem for Giants kicker Graham Gano since he signed a three-year, $16.5MM contract extension in 2023. After combining for 18 of a possible 34 appearances from 2023-24, Gano has already missed four of the Giants’ nine games this year. He could sit out again when the Giants face the Bears on Sunday.

Gano, now battling neck soreness, spent time on IR earlier this season with a groin injury. The 38-year-old missed a field goal in a 34-24 loss to the 49ers last Sunday, his second game since coming off IR, but has connected on his other nine attempts this season. Gano is is also a perfect 9 for 9 on extra points.

While Gano has put together a more-than-respectable career since debuting with Washington in 2009, the former Pro Bowler admitted Thursday that injuries and outside criticism have taken their toll (via Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports).

“It’s unbelievably frustrating,” Gano said. “I can’t control the injuries that have happened. It’s not like I’ve done something that is out of the ordinary outside of the building to hurt myself or anything. I just want to play ball, and constantly not being able to is tough. Doing everything I can to try to come back and play, and that’s my hope.”

If Gano is unable to suit up in Week 10, the Giants are preparing to use practice squad kicker Younghoe Koo, head coach Brian Daboll said (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). Also a former Pro Bowler, Koo had a long run with the Falcons, who released him after a costly missed field goal in a 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 1. The 31-year-old caught on with New York’s practice squad on Sept. 23.

Although Koo has been with the Giants for about a month and a half, he hasn’t kicked in a game with them yet. The Giants instead turned to Jude McAtamney during Gano’s four-game absence. McAtamney converted his only two field-goal attempts while filling in for Gano, but he missed three of his 12 extra-point tries. Two of those misses came in a 33-32 loss to the Broncos in Week 7. The Giants cut and re-signed McAtamney to their practice squad after their Denver disaster, and the Northern Ireland native is now behind Koo in the pecking order.

Despite having Koo and McAtamney around as fallback options, the Giants worked out free agent kicker Ben Sauls on Thursday, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. As Duggan notes, the undrafted rookie from Pittsburgh signed with Atlanta’s practice squad after the team moved on from Koo. The Falcons cut Sauls on Tuesday.

Giants Did Not Receive Trade Calls For QB Jameis Winston

With the trade deadline having come and gone, it is now known only one quarterback move (Joe Flacco to the Bengals) occurred. That leaves Jameis Winston in place to continue serving as the Giants’ third-string passer.

The free agent addition has spent 2025 as New York’s emergency No. 3 quarterback. That situation did not change when Jaxson Dart took over starting duties from Russell Wilson. After the switch, many expected at least one of Wilson or Winston to be dealt. Instead, both are still in the fold and Winston (under contract through 2026) remains in the team’s plans beyond the second half of the current campaign.

The Giants did not receive calls about Winston in the days leading up to this week’s trade deadline, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports. Both of New York’s veteran signal-callers were on the radar of the Bengals before they ultimately traded for Flacco, but since then Winston had not been firmly linked to any suitors. As Raanan notes, the Giants would have been unlikely to accept any trade offers on the Winston front anyway.

“When a team gives me the opportunity and believes in me, they give me a job, I want to play for that team and do my best for that team,” Winston said when speaking about his commitment to New York. “I’m a solutions-oriented guy, so I want to be a part of the solution. I don’t just want to run away when things get bad.”

Wilson (briefly) handled starting duties at the start of the campaign, but given the team’s decision to turn to Dart it would come as no surprise if he departed on the open market this spring. That would leave Winston, 31, to handle QB2 duties for 2026. The former No. 1 pick signed a two-year, $8MM pact in free agency; a portion of his salary for next season is already guaranteed.

Dart’s development will be a critical storyline for the Giants down the stretch as they contemplate the futures of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. Regardless of if one or both are still in place by the start of the 2026 campaign, Winston will be present as a veteran insurance policy under center.

Giants Were Hesitant To Trade Stars Due To Job Security

Despite rumblings about a few of their players, the Giants had a quiet trade deadline.

Trading Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence never felt realistic. Teams seemed unlikely to pony up a first-round pick for edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has just 2.5 sacks this season. And the Giants could not find takers on offensive lineman Evan Neal or wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, two players on expiring deals they were open to moving.

Uncertainty around the team’s future also lent itself to standing pat on Tuesday, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. The Giants’ current regime desperately needs to show proof-of-concept with their current vision for the walker. Jettisoning two of their top young defenders could make the team look bad enough down the stretch to threaten the jobs of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

However, the Giants are still realistic about their current standing and need to add talent in the offseason. They were only interested in players under contract through at least 2026, as trading draft picks for rentals would not better the team’s future.

There’s a careful balance to be struck there. At 2-6, the Giants may be content with a losing season if it means a top draft pick. Given the scrutiny on Schoen and Daboll, they may not be intentionally tanking, but adding a rental could help them win an extra game or two without boosting their overall playoff chances. At that point, the extra victories may not be worth the resulting drop in the draft order.

In a way, though, the Giants’ quiet deadline suggests that Schoen and Daboll believe that they have one more year in charge, but their jobs are not secure beyond that. Investing heavily in this year would suggest that they are on the hot seat right now, while trading Lawrence or Thibodeaux for future picks would indicate that they are committed to a long-term rebuild with Dart under center.

Instead, it seems like New York will be approaching the 2026 offseason with the hope of improving their roster around Dart and contending for an NFC playoff spot to show they’re capable of even more.

2025 NFL Trades

The modern NFL features four clear trade windows. While the Cowboys and Steelers’ George Pickens swap showed moves can be made at other points on the NFL calendar, early March, the draft, the late-August 53-man roster-setting date and the November deadline reside as the primary points trades occur around the league. On that note, it is a good time to check in on what has transpired on the trade market ahead of today’s deadline.

Excluding pick-for-pick trades, here are the moves NFL teams have made thus far in 2025:

March 1

49ers chose running back Jordan James at 147

March 4

Rams traded pick to Vikings, moving up to No. 172 for linebacker Chris Paul Jr.

March 5

March 6

March 7

Seahawks chose quarterback Jalen Milroe at 92

March 9

Seahawks used No. 52 to trade up (via the Titans) 17 spots for safety Nick Emmanwori, drafted running back Damien Martinez at 223; Steelers selected quarterback Will Howard at 185

March 10

Texans added wide receiver Jaylin Noel at 79, sent 236 to Jaguars in Day 2 trade; Commanders chose wideout Jaylin Lane at No. 128 

Eagles used No. 164 to climb one spot (via Chiefs) in first round for linebacker Jihaad Campbell

March 11

March 12

Bills took Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock at 170; Cowboys chose guard Ajani Cornelius at No. 204

Titans drafted running back Kalel Mullings at No. 188; Cowboys chose running back Phil Mafah at 239

March 13

March 15

Vikings packaged No. 187 in trade-down move (via Texans); 49ers drafted safety Marques Sigle at 160

April 3

Patriots traded down from No. 171 (via Lions) to draft kicker Andres Borregales; Cowboys chose defensive tackle Jay Toia at 217

April 26

Seahawks selected defensive lineman Rylie Mills at No. 142; Vikings traded No. 172 to Rams

May 7

June 2

Pick could upgrade to fourth-rounder if performance-based conditions are met

June 30

July 1

August 4

August 17

August 20

August 22

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

September 8

2026 fifth-round pick (from Bryce Huff trade) could upgrade to fourth-rounder, which would be sent to Jacksonville if 49ers DE meets those conditions

September 14

September 23

September 29

October 7

October 8

October 27

October 28

October 29

November 1

November 3

November 4

Higher of Cowboys’ two 2027 firsts will go to Jets in Williams trade

Latest On Giants’ Trade Deadline

The Giants had a quiet trade deadline, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. General manager Joe Schoen “feverishly worked the phones from all angles in recent weeks,” Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post writes. Schoen called about some “big players,” Jordan Raanan of ESPN adds, but wasn’t in position to surrender significant draft capital.

At 2-7 and all but eliminated from playoff contention, the Giants were only going to add if it meant acquiring a player (or players) under control beyond this season, per Dunleavy. Having lost No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 4, the Giants were reportedly “big-game hunting” at the position in mid-October. However, that was before the Giants dropped three straight games and drifted out of the postseason race.

It’s unclear if the Giants were in on any receivers on Tuesday, but Jakobi Meyers and Rashid Shaheed were the only proven wideouts who ended up on the move. As pending free agents, neither player was a fit for the Giants. The Dolphins listened to offers for Jaylen Waddle, who’s under control through 2028, but nobody would meet their asking price of a first-round pick and more.

With the deadline having come and gone with no receiver addition, the Giants will head into the offseason with Nabers and Darius Slayton as their top options for 2026. Otherwise, New York doesn’t have any reliable wideouts under contract for next year.

As the Giants’ leading receiver this year, soon-to-be free agent Wan’Dale Robinson has formed a rapport with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Robinson would like to remain a Giant, but if the team doesn’t re-sign him, it could find a replacement via the draft, trade, or free agency. That’ll be up to the GM to decide, whether it’s Schoen or someone else.

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