New York Giants

Before the New York Giants decided to keep Brian Daboll as their head coach for the 2025 season, they did a little bit of research on potential replacement candidates.

Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Giants did "some background work" on some people who could have replaced Daboll.

Giants president John Mara announced on Monday that both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were being retained after the team finished this season with a 3-14 record.

Russini didn't list the names of any candidates who the Giants looked into.

Mara maintained throughout the season that he didn't want to make any moves just for the sake of change.

"Obviously, we're all very disappointed with where we are right now, but I'm going to say one thing: We are not making any changes this season and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either," Mara told reporters in October.

There are certainly strong arguments to be made for Daboll to lose his job. His nine wins over the last two seasons are as many as he had in his first season with the Giants when they finished 9-7-1 and made the playoffs.

The relationship between Daboll and Daniel Jones seemed to deteriorate this season, with one player telling ESPN's Jordan Raanan their dynamic was "weird" at times. Jones asked for and was granted his release by the team on Nov. 22, just 19 months after signing a four-year, $160 million contract.

Daboll will become the first Giants coach to make it to a fourth season with the team since the end of the Tom Coughlin era following the 2015 season. Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge coached a total of 93 games in their six combined seasons in New York between 2016 to '21. Steve Spagnuolo also had four games as interim head coach at the end of the 2017 season.

The Giants are 9-25 and have the second-worst point differential in the NFL (minus-283) since the start of the 2023 season.

In a surprising twist, Brian Daboll will be back as the New York Giants head coach in the 2025 season after all.

Despite rumors that the embattled head coach was on the hot seat amid a 3-14 season, team president John Mara announced Monday that both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will return to their respective roles.

Mara said he and co-owner Steve Tisch "remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for our team."

Daboll's tenure in New York got off to a promising start, as the team went 9-7-1 in the 2022 season and reached the postseason, beating the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round before getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.

Things quickly went off the rails from there, however. The Giants went just 6-11 in the 2023 season, hampered in part by Daniel Jones' season-ending ACL tear.

It became very clear in 2024 that Jones was never going to be the long-term solution at quarterback. It didn't help that the Giants allowed the face of the franchise, running back Saquon Barkley, to depart in free agency ahead of the season and sign with the rival Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite New York's awful season, Mara maintained in late October that the Giants weren't going to make any major changes.

"Obviously we're all very disappointed with where we are right now," he said. "But I'm gonna say one thing, we are not making any changes this season and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either. I'm not gonna dissect individual players' performances or the offense vs. the defense or anything like that. I just wanted to make that statement. There will be a time and a place after the season to talk about this in more detail."

That didn't last long. Jones was benched and eventually released, although Mara didn't have a change of heart at head coach despite Daboll's 18-32-1 overall record with the Giants and the team's embarrassing 10-game losing streak during the 2024 campaign.

A hard reset was always coming at quarterback, and a similar one was expected at head coach. The positive for the Giants after such a difficult season is that the team will now be in position to draft one of the top options on the board in April. They hold the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Giants felt like an organization that could use a clean slate. Instead, any rebuild will be pushed back for at least another season.

This has been a season to forget for the 3-13 New York Giants.

But there has at least been one major bright spot.

To say Malik Nabers has lived up to expectations as the No. 6 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft would actually be an understatement. While the team surely had high hopes for the LSU product, it likely didn't think he'd be setting franchise records right out of the gates.

Yet that is exactly what he did Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles when he hauled in his 108th reception of the season. He broke Steve Smith's franchise record of 107 receptions from the 2009 campaign.

Nabers drew plenty of reaction from social media for the record:

There weren't many storylines in this largely meaningless game outside of Nabers' record pursuit, although there could have been if the teams took different approaches.

After all, Saquon Barkley is only 100 yards behind Eric Dickerson's all-time record of 2,105 rushing yards in a single season. However, the Eagles chose to rest their star running back instead of having him pursue the record since they are locked into the NFC's No. 2 seed.

As for the Giants, they would have finished with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft had they lost to the Indianapolis Colts and Eagles to finish the season. Instead, they defeated the Colts and had no chance at that top pick coming into Sunday's slate:

Still, New York figures to have a fairly favorable draft pick as it looks to build a contending roster in the NFC East.

And it at least knows it has one franchise cornerstone at wide receiver after Nabers' record-setting rookie season.

New York Giants owner John Mara's decisions regarding the future of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen haven't been influenced by protests from fans, according to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones.

"While no NFL owner likes to be embarrassed, the planes flying around MetLife Stadium have not impacted Mara's decision-making process, sources say," Jones wrote on Saturday.

During New York's 3-13 season, multiple planes have flown banners with messages calling for an upheaval of the team's front office over MetLife Stadium.

Three more banner-carrying planes were scheduled to be flown over the stadium before a 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but they were ultimately canceled by High Exposure Aerial Advertising due to a low cloud ceiling (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post).

The Giants will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season with Daboll and Schoen, although that doesn't necessarily mean that significant changes are coming.

Jones reported on Saturday that the "belief" is Schoen will return in 2025, as Mara has been "clued in" on every major decision that the general manager has made during his tenure. Mara also reportedly "desires to retain" Daboll to avoid another coaching search, but his decisions aren't "certain" as the Giants close out the regular season.

New York exceeded expectations in its first year with Daboll and Schoen in 2022, finishing with a 9-7-1 record and advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. The Giants own a 9-24 record in two seasons since.

Daboll's offense has struggled mightily in 2024, averaging a mere 298.3 yards and 16.3 points each week. Daniel Jones opened the year as New York's starting quarterback, but he later requested his release once he was benched after 10 starts.

The Giants are expected to be picking high in the 2025 NFL draft, even though they missed out on an opportunity for the No. 1 overall pick with their win over the Colts.

As New York wraps up a disappointing 2024 campaign, Mara isn't letting fans sway his choices regarding the futures of Daboll and Schoen.

The New York Giants are just one loss away from posting one of their worst seasons in franchise history, but they might have the same head coach heading into the 2025 season.

On ESPN's Get Up on Monday, insider Adam Schefter reported that owner John Mara wants to keep head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen despite the team's struggles.

"John Mara has said that he wants to be patient, he wants to give them time, he wants to give them a chance, and they have really wanted to keep the same thing going here," Schefter said (9:50 mark). "Consistency. Now, that doesn't mean they ultimately will. There are going to be conversations after the season, but there's a feeling in that building that they want to run the course and keep things the same and move forward with these guys. We'll see whether they actually do that."

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer also reported that Mara "really wants to stay the course with" Schoen and Daboll but is "also realistic about where the team is." Breer noted that Mara "will sit down with both guys soon to hear out their plan going forward and make a decision from there."

The Giants were on a 10-game losing streak before defeating the Indianapolis Colts 45-33 in their best offensive performance of the season on Sunday. Though the victory could serve as a morale boost heading into the offseason, it also costs them the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

New York is now gearing up for an offseason that will see it start over with a new quarterback after Daniel Jones' exit. It won't be an entirely fresh start for the Giants, however, if Daboll and Schoen are still in town.

Despite the New York Giants snapping an 11-game losing streak with Sunday's 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts, some fans were frustrated that they lost their position for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Giants quarterback Drew Lock said after the win that he understands the fans' perspective, but he's proud that he and his teammates showed that they haven't given up on the season:

"I'd say that's just a part of the game. When you've got the draft involved, it's not college. You don't get to pick where you go with the draft being involved. The playoff is out of contention, you understand what they're saying. But at the same time, like I said, it's nice to say we're going to go work, we're going to keep doing this, we're going to keep pushing, the season's not over, we've got two games left to be able to come out and win this one — that's the goal every single week, come out and win and work as hard as we can to do it."

Lock threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns and added another rushing score to help lead New York to its first home win of the season. However, the victory dropped the Giants from the No. 1 pick to the No. 4 pick, per Tankathon.com. If the New England Patriots lose to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18, they would secure the top pick in the 2025 draft.

When the Giants return to action against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Lock and his teammates surely won't have next year's draft position in mind.

It's no secret the New York Giants have been bad at winning games this season, but on Sunday, they were bad at losing.

The Giants came into Sunday's contest with the Indianapolis Colts in position to earn the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in April. All they had to do was lose to the Colts and drop their final game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Instead, New York had its best offensive display of the season as it downed Indianapolis 45-33.

Quarterback Drew Lock completed 17 of his 23 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. Lock also scored on the ground. Star rookie Malik Nabers was his favorite target as he hauled in seven receptions for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton also found the endzone through the air.

After he scored, Slayton had an emphatic message for those wanting the team to tank for the top pick.

With the Giants' loss, the New England Patriots can now claim the top pick with a loss to the Buffalo Bills next week. New York is in position for the third pick, per tankathon.com.

The win is impressive and likely would have made fans very happy earlier this season, but with nothing to play for, the Giants cost themselves the top pick in the draft and were met with trolling on social media.

There might not be a No. 1 pick for the Giants this year, but at least they avoided being the first team in NFL history to go 0-9 at home.

The New York Giants' rookie duo of wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. made history on Sunday.

In the first half of New York's clash with the Indianapolis Colts, Nabers and Tracy both surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards this season.

They became the third pair of teammates in NFL history to reach 1,000 all-purpose yards as rookies, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Reggie Bush and Marques Colston represented the last duo to accomplish the feat, doing so on the New Orleans Saints during the 2006 season (h/t Jared Schwartz of the New York Post).

Nabers entered halftime of Sunday's contest with four receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown, surpassing the 100-yard threshold for the third time this season.

Tracy picked up 47 yards on eight carries and caught one pass for 13 yards throughout the first two quarters against Indianapolis.

The Giants selected Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and the former LSU standout has already looked sharp to open his career. Entering Sunday's action, he caught 97 passes for 969 yards and four touchdowns.

He became the first Giants rookie wide receiver to record a 1,000-yard season since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014.

Tracy's strong inaugural year is especially impressive considering he didn't open the season atop New York's depth chart. In fact, he averaged just 16.5 offensive snaps per game through his first four appearances before earning his first start in Week 5 (via Pro Football Reference).

The 2024 fifth-round pick has been a factor on the ground and through the air, catching 34 passes for 263 yards and a score in addition to his 721 rushing yards through his first 15 games.

Both rookies have been able to remain effective despite uneven quarterback play from the Giants. Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito have all started multiple games in 2024 and combined to throw 10 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions through 16 weeks.

New York owns the worst record in the NFL at 2-13, but Nabers and Tracy should provide optimism for the future.

Multiple teams in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft were at the Pop-Tarts Bowl to see Miami quarterback Cam Ward on Saturday.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and Las Vegas Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly attended the game, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. Giants director of player personnel Tim McDonnell was also in attendance.

Ward only played in the first half against Iowa State, finishing 12-of-19 for 190 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. He rushed for eight yards on two attempts and set a new Division I record for career passing touchdowns.

Ward wrapped up an impressive senior season with the Hurricanes, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 4,123 yards and 37 touchdowns entering Saturday's action. He was only picked off seven times and finished No. 4 in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting.

The 22-year-old is ranked as the No. 1 quarterback and No. 8 overall player in the 2025 draft class on the latest big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department.

B/R NFL Scout Dame Parson highlighted Ward's overall arm talent in his scouting report of the signal-caller.

"In conclusion, Cam Ward is among the most gifted throwers in the NFL draft class," Parson wrote. "The combination of arm talent, mobility/athleticism, and accuracy is growing among NFL scouts."

As things currently stand, the Giants are projected to receive the No. 1 overall pick with their league-worst 2-13 record. The New England Patriots hold the second-worst mark at 3-13, while Las Vegas is one of four teams with identical 3-12 records.

The owner of the top pick in the 2025 draft isn't official just yet, but Ward is expected to be in consideration for the first selection regardless of the team that'll be on the clock.