Giants Retain HC Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen Despite 3-14 Season

The New York Giants are sticking with head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.

Team president and co-owner John Mara announced Monday that he and co-owner Steve Tisch have decided to maintain the Giants’ current leadership, even after a 3-14 season that ranks among the franchise’s worst.

“We decided that staying with both of them was the best solution for us at this time,” Mara said at the team facility. “I think in Brian’s case, he was coach of the year two years ago. That didn’t suddenly disappear. I still believe he can do it again. And in Joe’s case, I thought we had an outstanding draft class this year, I think we had a really good free agency period. I really like the staff that he put together and built.

Mara said he spoke to Schoen and Daboll for “several hours” last Friday before deciding to bring them both back.

“I think these are the two right guys to lead us into the future,” Mara said. “I understand, believe me, that this will not be the most popular decision in the land of the Giants.”

Frustrated fans, upset during a franchise-record 10-game losing streak, waved banners from planes above MetLife Stadium before the Giants’ final two home games, urging Mara to make sweeping changes.

“I didn’t need planes flying over me to tell me how upset the fans were,” Mara said. “I hear from them every day, so it hasn’t had much effect. I understand how upset they are. I try to respond to them. No one was more upset than me by the way of which we [have] made in recent years. I have to stand up here and take the pressure for this.”

Instead, Schoen and Daboll will be back next season and will spend the next few months searching for a quarterback — the Giants have the third overall pick in April’s draft — while trying to build a roster to compete in the NFC East after going 0-6 in the division and finishing 1-8 at home overall.

“That’s obviously our number one issue going into this offseason, is finding our quarterback of the future,” Mara said. “Whether it’s via the draft or acquiring a veteran, that’s going to be up to them, ultimately.”

Mara said he wouldn’t put “any sort of time limit” on his commitment to the two, but made it clear he needed to see marked improvement from Schoen and Daboll next season.

“It’s best not to take too long,” Mara said, “because I’m about to lose my patience.”

Schoen and Daboll were hired by the Giants in 2022 and their tenure got off to a promising start with New York going 9-7-1 and making the playoffs, where they beat Minnesota in the wild-card round. cards before losing to the NFC East. to compete with Philadelphia, the eventual conference champion, in the divisional round. Daboll was also selected AP NFL Coach of the Year.

But with quarterback Daniel Jones – who received a four-year contract extension worth $160 million this offseason – struggling with injuries and inconsistency, the Giants have struggled to finish 6-11.

Jones returned this season healthy, but was benched for poor play after New York got off to a 2-8 start. He requested and was granted his release by the Giants, who then used Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock as starting quarterbacks as New York won just one of its last seven games, putting Schoen and Joe’s jobs in jeopardy. Daboll.

“Three wins isn’t enough,” Daboll said after the Giants’ 20-13 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. “So there’s a lot of work to be done.”

“We sucked this year,” Mara said. “The results on the pitch were not what we wanted. There are a number of factors that come into play.”

Not re-signing running back Saquon Barkley certainly didn’t help, especially after he ran for 2,005 yards for NFC East rival Philadelphia and challenged Eric’s NFL single-season record Dickerson.

“If I’m sitting here a year from now and you’re asking me these questions, I’ll take the heat,” Mara said. “But ultimately we have to make a decision – and we have made one.”