While the New York Giants were flirting with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for most of the 2025 season after firing Brian Daboll, that doesn't necessarily mean that this is a wasteland of talent. In fact, the opposite might be true for Joe Schoen and company.
The Giants can try to entice coaches with the promise of coaching an ascending young quarterback in Jaxson Dart, rebuilding a gold-star franchise, and taking over a roster laden with Pro Bowl talent. If the front office makes a compelling pitch to the many candidates on offer, the Giants might be able to land someone who can change the culture.
NFL.com's Judy Battista ranked the Giants as the second-best head coaching job available, trailing only a Baltimore Ravens team that could be back in the Super Bowl picture sooner rather than later. The Giants may end up with their pick of the litter as their find Daboll's successor.
Giants viewed as No. 2 head coaching vacancy in NFL by league insider
The Giants are only projected to have a moderate amount of cap space (20th in the NFL), but they have more to work with than most Top 10 teams. Many of their problems last stemmed from injury (Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo) and coaching malpractice costing them a few wins.
Having a young quarterback like Dart already installed makes this job infinitely more attractive to prospective hires. While the defense took some steps back, any unit with standouts like Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Dexter Lawrence have the ability to break out in the right system.
Having a GM on a scaling-hot seat like Schoen might be a turn off, as is the fact that the fanbase is likely going to demand results immediately after years of losing, but neither of those factors should overwhelm the fairly quality product the Giants are capable of putting on the field.
The Giants are shooting for some recognizable names, including trying to woo a pair of fired AFC North coaches in Kevin Stefanski and John Harbaugh. If they get offers from other teams, New York's foundation could be enough to steer them over to Big Blue.