Former New York Giants head coach and new Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is doing his best Patrick Star impression in the early days of free agency -- he’s taking the New York Giants and pushing them somewhere else. In this case, Nashville.
Seriously, this man has no regrets, and it’s starting to feel a little vindictive if you ask me. The legal tampering window opened up on Monday, giving football fans their first taste of what rosters will look like come September. For Titans fans, their team could end up looking eerily similar to the Giants’ 2025 roster, as Daboll has shamelessly been poaching former players left and right.
First it was wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, which was expected. Then tight end Daniel Bellinger joined forces with his former head coach. And just when you thought he was done looking New York’s way, what does he do? He goes full revenge tour and steals cornerback Cor’Dale Flott right out from underneath Big Blue, agreeing to terms on a three-year, $45 million deal with the 24-year-old, as reported by NFL insider Mike Garafolo.
Brian Daboll keeps loading up on former Giants players in Tennessee
To say it was supposed to happen this way would be an understatement. For a while it looked like the former LSU standout was going to return to North Jersey. Instead, the Titans swooped in late and completely ruined everyone's good time celebrating the additions of Isaiah Likely, Jordan Stout, and Tremaine Edmunds.
The timing of it all makes the whole situation even worse. Tennessee’s elevator pitch reportedly included a detailed plan from head coach Robert Saleh outlining how Flott would fit into their defense, and that was enough to flip things at the last minute. Did Joe Schoen and Co. just not have a plan for the guy? Like, what?
For Giants fans, the hilarious part is that Flott is now the third member of the team’s 2022 draft class to head to Tennessee this offseason. Maybe it'll work out for Dabs this time.
Wan’Dale Robinson was the first domino, agreeing to a four-year, $70 million deal. Tight end Daniel Bellinger followed shortly after with a three-year, $24 million deal. Now Flott rounds out the trio, giving the Titans a surprising amount of familiarity with the roster Daboll used to coach in New York... which didn't exactly work.
From Tennessee’s perspective, the approach makes a lot of sense. Daboll already knows these guys, knows how they work, and knows what they bring to a locker room. It's still annoying. Like just go away quietly.
For the Giants, the Flott loss is massive. He was supposed to be back. It now leaves a terrifyingly noticeable hole in the secondary and forces the front office to pivot quickly as the free agent pool quickly dries up.