Strap in, Giants fans. I’ve got the weirdest request of 2026 so far, and I need you to play along -- otherwise, this is going to fall flat fast. So do me a favor: dust off your nostalgia hat and hum a few bars of the Ghostbusters theme song:
If there’s somethin’ strange in the coaching pool
Who you gonna call? (Nepotism!)
South Beach connection, so you know they're cool
Who you gonna call? (Nepotism!)
From STC to head coach?
If you’re seein’ names that you’ve never heard,
Who you gonna call? (Nepotism!)
But their friend's the GM -- spread the word!
Who you gonna call? (Nepotism!)
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Giants are set to interview longtime special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi for their head coach vacancy. And while Rizzi’s resume isn’t without merit, this latest addition to the coaching carousel has Big Blue fans squinting at the ol’ NFL Rolodex and wondering: are we hiring the best... or just the best-connected?
General manager Joe Schoen spent eight seasons in Miami with Rizzi, which makes his name a lot less random as Big Blue dives headfirst into its cast-a-wide-net coaching search. Still, it’s genuinely frightening that a prior working relationship might be enough for serious consideration.
Giants coaching search takes strange turn with Joe Schoen eyeing Darren Rizzi
It's not what you know, it's who you know, and while I'm not outwardly discrediting Rizzi's coaching acumen, you can't help but wonder how much of the "who-ing he knows" is blending in the way of the "what-ing."
The 55-year-old is coming off his first season as the Special Teams Coordinator for the Denver Broncos. The man has spent the last 17 years coaching special teams in some capacity, making him a clear subject matter expert on the less glamorous side of the game. He knows his stuff.
However, it's important to note Sean Payton is the head coach of the Broncos. He was formerly the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021. Funny enough, Rizzi was the STC in NOLA under Payton for three years before heading out to Colorado.
Well, that's interesting. And now he's getting an HC interview with the Giants because of his past relationship with Schoen. Something spooky is going on here, and it rhymes with "Depotism."
New York is knee-deep in their search, interviewing candidates from Rizzi to Vance Joseph to Mike McCarthy to Kevin Stefanski to John Harbaugh. It's a lot. And the search should be extensive. But even a wide search shouldn’t mean lowering the bar just because of familiarity. There’s a difference between casting a wide net and reeling in whatever bites.
The Giants need to get this hire right. Schoen knows that. So, whether this is just an interview to help out a buddy, or he's getting a serious look, let’s just hope when the call comes... it’s not Nepotism that answers our hotline.