It might be now or never for New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll in 2025.
With a 2025 NFL season approaching, with the backdrop of owner John Mara likely needing to see significant progress in order to retain the current power structure beyond this season, at least one rival executive is bullish on the Giants making strides.
“I’d watch out for the Giants,” a rival NFC Executive told me recently, when asked to identify the team he believes could surprise to the upside this fall. “Because of their additions at quarterback, and upgrades along the offensive line. Besides, they can’t really be worse than they were last year.”
These are the same Giants that finished 3-14 last season, failed to score 10 points five times, and allowed 30 or more points in four games. But, with an offseason’s worth of veteran additions and some potentially elite talent arriving in the NFL Draft, the personnel man might be onto something.
There’s no question that the Giants have dramatically overhauled their quarterback room, with the additions of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and No. 25 overall pick, Jaxson Dart. New York is banking on Wilson’s past success in the vertical passing game sparking an electrifying connection downfield with second-year receiver Malik Nabers.
Wilson’s key to holding off Dart, and perhaps even saving Daboll’s job to afford the head coach the opportunity to coach his handpicked rookie quarterback, might be winning enough games to keep the Giants relevant in December, and January.
Meanwhile, moving Evan Neal inside to offensive guard is a position change that both the former first-round pick and the Giants seem optimistic will pay dividends along one of the most porous offensive lines in the NFL.
Schoen has added significant talent both via the NFL Draft, in Nabers, edge rusher Abdul Carter, running backs Tyone Tracy and Cam Skattebo, and tight end Theo Johnson, as well as some marquee veterans such as the quarterback additions, safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo, whereas the talent on the roster may finally be improving.
How the pieces fit is an open question as the season nears, but the expectations are clear, and for Daboll and Schoen 2025 will come down to not just winning games but proving significant progress and perhaps proving the executive’s prediction prescient.
Giants’ Malik Nabers Climbing NFL Wide Receiver Rankings
Jason Miller | GettyNew York Giants star Malik Nabers is quickly developing a reputation as one of the NFL’s most feared receivers.
Malik Nabers made quite the first impression.
The Giants’ wide receiver, and No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, immediately flashed an ability to pull down highlight-reel worthy catches and stretch the field on his way to posting a 1,204-yard and seven touchdown rookie campaign.
And, Nabers put up those numbers in just 15 games.
CBS Sports NFL analyst Pete Prisco took notice, ranking Nabers as the 45th best player across the NFL, as the former LSU standout’s sophomore campaign looms.
“As a rookie, Nabers had 109 catches playing in an offense with major quarterback issues,” Prisco points out, listing Nabers as the No. 7 ranked wide receiver in the league. “As that position gets better, so will his numbers. He averaged 11 yards per catch, but he has more big-play ability than that number would indicate.”
The shotgun marriage between Wilson and Nabers in 2025 might be one that winds up paying massive dividends for the Giants.
After all, Wilson led the NFL in deep passing percentage, completing 54 percent of his passing attempts of 20 yards or more, and Nabers excelled both after the catch and in the vertical passing game, despite wildly inconsistent quarterback play in 2024.
The duo of Wilson and Nabers may just hold the key to the Giants’ ceiling on offense, this season.
Giants’ Jaxson Dart Trusting The Process
Adam Hunger | GettyNew York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has much invested in the present and future in rookie QB Jaxson Dart.
In a perfect world, the Giants might prefer Dart sit out his rookie season while learning from Wilson and allowing the offensive talent to improve to the point that he’s taking over a well-oiled machine in 2026.
Dart enters his rookie training camp as the clear No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart, and believes in the plan that Daboll and the coaching staff have in place for him this season.
“I just trust them,” Dart told reporters, of the Giants’ coaches. “They’ve had this blueprint and they’ve done it with different quarterbacks and you’ve seen them succeed at the highest level, so I trust them. For me, I’m just trying to be the most coachable player that I can.
“I want to play well on the offense. I want to be able to manage it and operate it at the highest level. I know that they definitely do have a plan. I’m just trying to take it day by day and I’m not looking for results immediately. I’m a process driven person, so I’m just taking it day by day, rep by rep.”
Regardless of whether Dart sees the field in 2025, after passing for a career-high 4,279 yards with 29 touchdowns to six interceptions in his final season at Ole Miss, the 6-foot-2 and 215-pound gunslinger is eager to soak up all the knowledge he can from the likes of Wilson, Winston, and Tommy Devito.
“It’s been great,” Dart told reporters, of his relationship with the veterans in the quarterbacks room. “They’ve been so supportive of me and I pick up as much as I can off of them and how their habits are. It’s great to just sit in the meetings and hear them talk and go over things. I’m blessed to be in a room with those guys, and I feel like there’s so much I could take away from them and really excited for the room that we have.”
Rival NFL Executive Sends Clear Message on Giants’ 2025 Outlook