NFL Rumors: Insiders Believe Giants’ Mara Wants Daboll, Schoen to Return amid Woes

Some within the NFL reportedly believe New York Giants owner John Mara is serious about his desire to keep head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen in the fold beyond this season.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, multiple people with knowledge of the Giants’ situation feel Mara “really does want” to keep Daboll and Schoen for the 2025 season based on the notion that he is tired of “cycling through coaches every two to three years.”

Mara told reporters last month that he is “committed” to Daboll and Schoen, and giving them “a chance to turn this thing around.”

Despite that, some questioned to Fowler whether Mara will follow through on what he said, calling the future of Daboll and Schoen a “50-50” proposition in New York, particularly if the 2-8 G-Men continue to struggle down the stretch.

After going 4-13 in 2021 and missing the playoffs for the fifth season in a row, the Giants fired head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman, replacing them with Daboll and Schoen.

Once Schoen arrived after serving as the Buffalo Bills’ assistant GM from 2017 to 2021, it came as little surprise that he hired Daboll, who was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo from 2018 to 2021.

It seemed like a match made in heaven initially, as the Giants exceeded all expectations in their first year at the helm, going 9-7-1, reaching the playoffs and winning a playoff game in 2022.

Quarterback Daniel Jones had a career year in 2022 with Daboll leading the way, which compelled Schoen to sign him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension.

That proved to be a major mistake, as Jones missed all but six games due to injury last season and struggled when he did play, going 1-5 for a Giants team that finished 6-11 overall.

Given the financial investment they made in him, Jones was given the opportunity to return as the starter this season, but the results have been similar with him going 2-8 and throwing for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

As a result, Daboll announced this week that Tommy DeVito is the Giants’ new starting quarterback with Jones getting demoted to third string.

That move seems to indicate that the Giants plan to move on from Jones during the offseason, as benching him and preventing him from getting injured will make it easier to have a clean break.

Fowler noted that Schoen and Daboll have not yet had the opportunity to identify and install their own quarterback. Although they did make the decision to re-sign Jones, he was drafted by the previous regime.

That factor could play a role in Daboll and Schoen getting one more shot from ownership, especially if they pick high in the 2025 NFL draft and have a chance to land one of the top quarterbacks, such as Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward.