Giants’ John Mara nearly ‘out of patience’ but trusts Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll to fix mess

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are returning for a fourth season, but they won’t have very much leeway. John Mara said Monday he is nearly “out of patience.”

The Giants co-owner used that phrase when asked how long it will take to improve the product on the field — that is a team with one playoff win under its belt since the 2012 Super Bowl and an 18-32-1 (.363) record under the current regime, including a 3-14 finish this season.

“It’d better not take too long because I’ve just about run out of patience,” Mara said after he and team co-owner Steve Tisch opted to bring back the duo.

Of everything Mara said Monday, that quote was the most telling about the expectations for Schoen and Daboll in 2025. It’s win or else.

“Not good enough” was the common refrain from Daboll and Schoen as they spoke with members of the media after Mara’s remarks. Though ownership brought the duo back in large part to maintain some consistency and avoid moving on to a fifth head coach and third GM in a decade, there is no doubt the stakes have been raised for Daboll and Schoen.

“I’m going to have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am right now,” Mara said.

Daboll said he learned he’d be returning Monday morning. The Giants issued a statement announcing he and Schoen would be back ahead of the final open locker room of the season. But Schoen and Daboll met with Mara for several hours Friday. Though the three didn’t divulge the specifics of the conversation, Mara hinted at other changes that could and will be coming to help the Giants get back on track.

Quarterback question

It’s the most important position on the roster, and yet the Giants don’t have one under contract for 2025 after releasing Daniel Jones earlier this season. Backup Drew Lock signed only a one-year deal last offseason, and Tommy DeVito will be an exclusive rights free agent.

So what is the Giants’ plan at the position? We’ll find out soon, but it’s top of mind for everyone involved.

“That’s obviously the No. 1 issue for us going into this offseason, is to find our quarterback of the future,” said Mara, who believes that once the quarterback issue is solved, it will help rectify other aspects of the roster. “Whether that be via the draft or acquiring a veteran, it’s going to be up to them to decide, ultimately.”

If the Giants have a preference between rookie or veteran, Schoen didn’t tip his hand Monday. He said he felt confident the Giants would be able to address the position, and the holes on the roster, with the resources they have at their disposal.

“We’re picking third in the draft. … We’re sitting here with ($40 million plus) in cap space and more than $100 (million) the following year. Some teams are in this situation where maybe they need a quarterback, and they don’t have the financial pieces or the draft resources. We are in good shape from that standpoint in terms of improving the roster via free agency, trades or through the draft. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the people in the building, the process, and I’ve got a lot of faith in the plan that we have in place moving forward.”

In terms of the Giants’ process, Schoen was asked whether he had regrets about the process that led him to hand Jones a massive contract extension after the 2022 playoff victory. The GM said he had no regrets and wouldn’t change what he did.

“It’s the information you have. We had just won 10 games. We won a road playoff game. I just watched Dabs for four years at Buffalo with Josh Allen. The year before that with Jalen (Hurts) and Tua (Tagovailoa) at Alabama. So, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the coaching staff.

“Again, I’ve got a lot of confidence in our process. We’ve done these quarterback deep dives the last two or three years, and, I would say the players we were high on have gone on to have solid rookie years or second years, whatever it may be. … I wish it would have worked out with Daniel, but it didn’t. But it doesn’t deter me from taking one and having a lot of faith in the people that are in place to develop whoever it is.”

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Will Daboll relinquish play-calling duties?

Daboll officially took over play-calling duties from assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka this season, but he reportedly took over the role a few times during the 2023 struggles.

However, as part of the year-end reflections, Daboll said he brought up to Mara the idea of no longer calling plays. Though no decision has been made yet, Daboll said, it’s obviously of interest to Mara.

“I talked to him about, ‘Do you really believe that it’s in our best interest for you to continue calling the plays?’” Mara said. “I said, ‘I’m not going to demand you do one thing or the other. But are you better off letting somebody else call the plays?’ That’s a discussion that we’re going to continue to have. There are issues like that, that we have to have some further discussion about.”

When pressed about the possibility of changing the offensive scheme, Daboll said they’d do “whatever we think we need to do.”

Another key aspect of the play calling will be the fate of Kafka, who was promoted to assistant head coach this offseason. The Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints have requested to interview Kafka for their head coach search. Meanwhile, the OC job in Seattle is vacant; the Giants blocked Kafka from interviewing for that job last offseason. Daboll said he’s got “a lot of respect” for Kafka but did not commit to anything regarding the OC’s future.

Kafka had been the only consistent coordinator through Daboll’s first three seasons, as the Giants parted ways with DC Wink Martindale last season and fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey.

Changes to Giants defense?

Will the Giants move on to their third defensive coordinator in four years? It seems it could be headed that way.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t think our defense played very well this year at all,” Mara said. “I know that when you have an offense that performs like that, you’re putting more pressure on your defense. But we need to make improvements there. I’m tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us.”

Mara might be sick of watching teams march down the field, but the defense wasn’t nearly as bad as the offense this year. The Giants ranked 31st in points per game, and they finished 21st in points allowed.

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The rushing defense was a weak point, however, with the Giants allowing 136.2 rushing yards per game, which was 27th in the league. They also only tallied 15 takeaways, which was 28th in the league.

Daboll hadn’t announced any staff changes as of Monday, saying he was just getting started on the process.

It’s worth noting Mara also highlighted offensive line depth as another issue the Giants face.

The Giants’ reality is that there are a lot of issues to sort out this offseason. And if Daboll and Schoen don’t address them, changes will be coming.

(Photo: Kevin R. Wexler / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)