New York Giants owner John Mara has made it clear, in order for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen to save their jobs in 2025, New York is going to need to show meaningful progress on the field.
If that progress is to include an NFC East championship, the Giants’ first since 2011, it could be a Herculean uphill climb.
NFL Media analyst Kevin Patra adopts a particularly bearish outlook for the Giants, listing New York eighth among the teams vying to go from last-place to winning their respective divisions this upcoming season.
“There are certainly aspects of the Big Blue revamp to like,” Patra writes of the Giants. “New York boasts a potential game-wrecking defensive front with No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter joining Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence. Receiver Malik Nabers is a stud and could be even more productive in his second season with a stable QB situation. There is little doubt that the Giants upgraded the signal-caller room with the additions of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and first-rounder Jaxson Dart. (Of course, compared to what they employed last year, that isn’t saying much.) I don’t think the Giants are three-win bad.
“However, Wilson hasn’t proven lately he’s a game-altering QB. He’s been inconsistent and panicky in the pocket. The ever-present questions along New York’s offensive line won’t do him any favors. Dart is a wild card. With a coaching staff squarely under pressure to produce positive results, the rookie could be forced into action earlier than planned. Even if we can buy that the G-Men are better in 2025, expecting them to completely leap over the Super Bowl champs, the Jayden Daniels-led Commanders and a Cowboys club getting Dak Prescott back is a nonstarter.”
In addition to the legitimate concerns that Wilson hasn’t been a high-level quarterback, consistently, over the past three seasons, the Giants also face the unenviable task of being housed in a division that’s also home to the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, the Commanders, who made a trip to the NFC Championship Game, and an improved Cowboys roster looking to make its own postseason return.
The Giants might be better in 2025, perhaps even significantly so from a dreadful 2024 campaign, but adding another division championship might take more progress than this roster is capable of providing in the months ahead.
Lane Kiffin Reveals Giants Rookie Jaxson Dart’s Best Traits
GettyNew York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart flashed potential during OTAs and minicamp, but there are still areas he can improve.
As training camp nears, and with Wilson slated to open the season as the starting quarterback, there’s a potential that first-round rookie Jaxson Dart could hold all the cards for the Giants both in 2025 and Daboll’s future beyond this season.
Dart, whom the Giants traded up for to select No. 25 overall, capped his collegiate career with a 4,279-yard campaign with 29 touchdowns to six interceptions in his final season at Ole Miss, before seeing his draft stock skyrocket thanks to strong performances at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and the NFL Combine.
As Dart’s rookie season nears, his college head coach, Lane Kiffin, notes that the 22-year-old’s ability to learn and quickly process information will serve him well at the next level.
“He really is a quick learner, really can see everything and can chunk information,” Kiffin said (h/t Giants.com’s Dan Salomone). “And if he is struggling with something, he’s going to find a way. He’s going to stay after. He’s going to do whatever it takes.”
Dart’s mentality shines through in how he plans to approach his rookie training camp, and the possibility of climbing the depth chart, should Wilson and/or Jameis Winston falter this summer.
“I think first of all, I’m going to prepare as the starter, no matter what my role is,” Dart said, during a recent appearance on the Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard Podcast. “Because, you really never know when your chance is going to come. My mindset is, whenever that comes, I’m going to be ready for it. I’m not going to shy away from the moment, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
Giants’ Brian Daboll Ranked Among Worst NFL Coaches
Dan Mullan | GettyNew York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is under immense pressure in 2025.
It’s easy to see why the pressure is on Daboll to deliver for the Giants in 2025.
After making the playoffs in his first season, and toppling the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card round, on the road, Daboll enters the upcoming season with a meager 18-32-1 record and just nine wins, combined, over the past two seasons.
As a potential make-or-break season for Daboll’s tenure with the Giants nears, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin lists the 50-year-old with one Coach of The Year Award on his ledger as the No. 30 ranked head coach in the league, entering 2025.
“Daboll looked like a wizard in his debut,” Benjamin writes for CBS. “Rejuvenating both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley en route to a road playoff win. That feels like ages ago, with his record only plummeting since then. Unveiling rookie dual threat Jaxson Dart may well buy him more time, unless the aging Russell Wilson proves to be the serviceable downfield arm he’s been hunting for years.”
Giants owner John Mara has issued a strong edict that New York must show progress this season in order for Daboll to be manning the sidelines next season. If Daboll is able to push the Giants back towards relevancy and Dart shows some promise, should he see the field as a rookie, perhaps that will be both enough for the embattled head coach to save his job and to climb these preseason rankings next summer.
Despite Giants’ Big Upgrades, Analyst Warns 2025 Playoff Hopes Face Massive Roadblock