Why New York Giants should fire Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen and why they should stay

The New York Giants’ disastrous 2024 season came to an end as they were defeated 20-13 by the Philadelphia Eagles, who were resting most of their starters.

With the loss, the Giants set a new franchise record for losses in a season and will now have the third pick in the draft. The franchise will now head into an offseason with a cloud of uncertainty hovering over head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. Both are on the hot seat, although some feel Schoen will be back for the 2025 season, whereas Daboll’s future is up in the air.

The duo will have a meeting with owner John Mara shortly to determine their fate. Most fans believe it’s time for the franchise to move in a different direction, but there are reasons to keep the tandem.

Here are three reasons why John Mara should part ways with Daboll and Schoen and three reasons why he should keep them.

3 reasons why Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen shouldn’t return

Their poor record speaks for itself

In their three seasons with the Giants, the tandem has compiled a record of 18-32-1, and they’ve gone 12-31-1 since they started 7-2 at the beginning of the 2022 season. That simply isn’t good enough. The franchise is not in a better situation prior to the duo arriving in New York.

They also went 1-12 (including the playoffs against their two biggest division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

Based on their track record, it’s difficult to have any faith that the tandem can turn things around next season when the team plays the NFC North and AFC West. Former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells famously said once, “You are what your record says you are,” and based on Daboll and Schoen’s record, they’re far from good.

Someone has to take the fall for this disaster

In what was supposed to be a celebratory season where the franchise celebrated its 100^th season in the league, the Giants set a franchise record for losses in a season with 14. When the team performs this poorly, everyone bears part of the blame, but the two men who deserve the brunt of the blame are Daboll and Schoen.

The decisions that Schoen made in the offseason in letting go of S aquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney have gone back to bite him. Barkley and McKinney’s presence was sorely missed on the field and in the locker room. Daboll was unable to make the necessary changes/adjustments during the team’s 10-game losing streak. He also missed the opportunity to move Evan Neal to guard since he continues to struggle at tackle.

When a team has a season this disastrous, somebody in authority has to take the fall.

The roster is poorly constructed

Schoen is the man in charge of acquiring players, and Daboll and the coaching staff are supposed to develop players. After three seasons, the roster is arguably the worst in the league, and they are still searching for a franchise quarterback.

The tandem’s first two draft picks, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, are playing well below the expectation of being the fifth and seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, and the 2023 draft class has regressed. The only player to be voted to the Pro Bowl was Dexter Lawrence, and the team is in the bottom third in total offense and defense. In addition, the team’s win total has regressed every season under Daboll and Schoen.

Earlier this season, John Mara said he didn’t envision making any changes with his head coach and GM, but it will be a hard sell to fans if both are retained.

3 reasons why Mara should keep them

The 2024 draft class is promising

The lone bright spot of the 2024 season was the rookie class, which was arguably the best in the league, showing tremendous promise. Malik Nabers set a franchise record for receptions in a season (109) and fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr had over 1,000 scrimmage yards.

Second-round pick Tyler Nubin and third-round Andru Phillips look like they’ll be stalwarts on the defense for years to come. Tight end Theo Johnson was starting to emerge before a foot injury ended his season. The success of the draft class and how they progressed week to week could be the saving grace for Schoen and Daboll, as ownership may not want to create any disruption that could hinder their development.

Allow Daboll and Schoen to select their quarterback

The biggest reason for the team’s lack of success has been their quarterback play. For whatever reason, the duo neglected to draft a quarterback or sign a viable free agent that could challenge Daniel Jones in being the team’s starter.

Acquiring a quarterback will be the team’s first priority this offseason, and time will tell if they’ll acquire this through the draft or free agency. Although not acquiring a quarterback is Daboll and Schoen’s fault, ownership may want to see what they can do when they finally acquire a quarterback of their preference. Daboll is supposed to be an offensive guru, and it’s time he and Schoen get a quarterback who can effectively run his offense.

Mara wants to be a man of his word and keep both

Everyone has the right to change their mind but in his heart, Mara wants to keep his word in allowing his head coach and general manager to return for the 2025 season. The franchise has lost credibility over the past several years due to its losing ways and questionable decisions over personnel. The 70-year-old owner may want to show that he’s not an owner who will flip-flop in his decision-making and stick to his word.