The New York Giants finally pulled the plug on Brian Daboll's time as head coach. And this may have blown the door wide open for a nightmare Washington Commanders scenario.
Daboll was living on borrowed time. Several fourth-quarter collapses this season and questions stemming from his handling of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart left Giants owner John Mara with no option other than to end this experiment ahead of time. And there weren't many fans of the G-Men complaining about it.
Attention immediately turns to what comes next. And make no mistake, this is an intriguing job, despite the Giants' lowly record right now.
Commanders' Kliff Kingsbury already being linked with Giants head coaching vacancy
They have a gifted young quarterback. They have a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver and a bellcow running back, providing Malik Nabers and Cameron Skattebo make a full recovery from injury. They also boast a formidable defensive front seven with Pro Bowl-caliber performers everywhere you look.
It would be a hard job to turn down. And unsurprisingly, Commanders' offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is already being linked with the job.
Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports named Kingsbury among the candidates to succeed Daboll. The analyst highlighted his work with Jayden Daniels as something that could help Dart reach new heights, and he also has prior head-coaching experience to draw on.
"Last offseason, we saw former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson accept a head coaching job in the division with Chicago, so maybe Kingsbury could be the latest to follow that track. Kingsbury has done wonders for the Commanders offense with a young Jayden Daniels, and could bring a similar boost to Dart's development in New York. On top of being one of the top offensive minds in the NFL, he also comes with prior head coaching experience, leading the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022. Kingsbury went just 28-37-1 over that tenure, but it did include an 11-6 record in 2021."
Tyler Sullivan
In-division coaching moves are rare, but one only has to look at Washington's current head coach to see that they do happen in the correct fit.
Kingsbury said he wasn't going to leave the Commanders for just any job. He's happy in Washington, and although things haven't gone as well this season, the play-caller hasn't been playing with a full deck.
Daniels has played just six games. Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown have been out for much longer. It's not ideal, but Kingsbury remains revered enough in league circles to garner head-coaching interest when the next hiring cycle commences.
Given his knowledge of Washington's set-up, the talent available in New York, and the success Kingsbury typically has in Year 1, that could be a massive problem.