Giants' John Mara Expects to Retain Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen for 2025 NFL Season
October 24, 2024
New York Giants owner John Mara emphatically stated Wednesday that the team will not be moving on from general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll either during or after this season, which currently sees Big Blue sitting last in the NFC East with a 2-5 record.
"Obviously, we're all very disappointed with where we are right now, but I'm going to say one thing: We are not making any changes this season and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either," Mara said at the premiere of "The Duke: Wellington Mara's Giant Life," per ESPN's Jordan Raanan.
He added: "I think I try to be more patient than maybe I've been in recent years. He was patient. He preached that all the time and I've probably been guilty of not being patient enough in recent years, and that's one of the reasons I'm committed to Joe and Brian and giving them a chance to turn this thing around."
The Giants hired Schoen and Daboll away from the Buffalo Bills in January 2022. Schoen was the Bills' assistant general manager, and he soon brought along Daboll, Buffalo's offensive coordinator.
The Schoen/Daboll era began with great success in 2022, as the 9-7-1 Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and won a postseason game for the first time since 2011.
However, last year's Giants fell to 6-11, and this year's team, which is currently 30th in scoring at 14.1 points per game, looks to be playing out the string.
The Giants have had five coaches since the Giants and Tom Coughlin parted ways in 2015 after 12 seasons, two of which ended with Super Bowl victories. Ben McAdoo lasted a season-plus before being fired after a 2-10 start in 2017. Steve Spagnuolo took over on an interim basis for the rest of the year.
Then Pat Shurmur came aboard before being fired following a 9-23 stint over two years.
Then Joe Judge took over the reins before being let go after a 10-23 record in 2020 and 2021.
Then Daboll came aboard, and the Giants enjoyed their first taste of playoff success in 11 years.
Big Blue has obviously gone backwards since that season, naturally bringing up questions about the head coach and GM's future.
On the flip side, though, the Giants have experienced an incredible amount of turnover at head coach. And it appears that Mara wants to stay the course here and maintain some continuity.
Of course, Mara could change course. After a 1-8 start in 2017, the Giants issued a statement that the team would not make any changes until after the season, when they would undergo a full evaluation. Three weeks later, both McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were let go.
But Mara is emphatically on the record now stating that the team is not making any changes at head coach and GM. And that could mean the team sticking with the duo for a couple more years, especially with the team almost certainly moving on from the Daniel Jones era. Dan Duggan of The Athletic provided more insight.
In the meantime, the Giants hope to break a two-game losing streak on Sunday evening when they visit the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers.