The New York Giants are about to enter Year 4 of the Brian Daboll experiment after he was hired to be the Giants' new head coach in 2022. After a promising first year that saw the G-Men go 9-7, reach the playoffs, and win a playoff game, Daboll has since disappointed as the man in charge of running the team.
The Giants have gotten worse in every one of Daboll's years at the helm and quarterback play is a big reason why that is. That being said, Daboll was brought on because of his offensive mindset that he had during his four-year stint as the Bills offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021 so this should have been where he thrived.
Some might feel that the first-round selection of Jaxson Dart could buy Daboll some time but Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said that's not necessarily the case. While answering questions from his mailbag this week, Breer was asked if Daboll and Joe Schoen are in danger even with the selection of the Ole Miss product.
"I don’t think selecting Dart in the first round protects Daboll and Schoen. However, it could in a more indirect way," Breer replied. "If the Giants make the playoffs, then we’re not talking about their job security. If they don’t, there will be shades of gray to the decisions—and that’s where Dart’s play comes in. Because the NFC East drew the NFC North and AFC West this year, the schedule is a bear. So if the Giants win seven or eight games, Dart takes the job in midseason, plays well and energizes the group late, I could see the owners not wanting to pull the plug. Conversely, winning seven or eight games with Russell Wilson probably won’t be enough."
Albert Breer says Jaxson Dart could impact Brian Daboll's future "in a more indirect way"
This is an interesting point made by Breer and it's an important one. Making the playoffs is the only surefire way for Daboll not to lose his job after this season. Without a playoff appearance, however (and let's be real -- It feels unlikely that the Giants will be making the postseason this year), is where things start to get a bit iffy.
Breer points out how difficult the Giants schedule is in 2025 and says that finishing close to .500 with Dart leading the way in the second half of the season could be enough to ensure Daboll sticks around. Basically, if Dart plays in the second half of the season and shows potential, there's a chance that Daboll remains the head coach of the New York Giants.
If the Giants finish close to .500 but it's been Russell Wilson at quarterback the entire time for whatever reason, then that's probably a wrap for Brian Daboll. If the Giants continue to flounder like they have the past few years, obviously he'll be out the door as well.
So, again, this is an important year for Brian Daboll. He needs to not only win games but he needs to do so with the quarterback he picked leading the way. Otherwise, that's probably it for him.