The Giants are preparing to kick off a new era after firing head coach Brian Daboll amid the team's disappointing 2-8 start to the season, and already there are plenty of potential replacements being churned through the rumor mill.
New York is onto its sixth head coach since 2016 and will no doubt be looking for some consistency and stability, as well as a coach capable of maximizing their young talent and establishing a winning culture.
The Giants' head coaching vacancy is arguably more desirable than most, as the the organization has seemingly found its quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart and is stacked with more high-end talent on both sides of the ball.
In the wake of Daboll's firing, NFL's Ian Rapoport threw out three names to keep an eye on during Giants GM Joe Schoen's search: Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce and Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: A look at why the #Giants fired coach Brian Daboll and what's next for NYG. pic.twitter.com/pRZfVcYKOH
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 11, 2025
Spagnuolo has been one of the most talked-about head coaching candidates in NFL hiring cycles over the last several years, so it's no surprise to see the veteran Chiefs coach on the list. Spags, who served as defensive coordinator for the Giants from 2007-08 and again from 2015-17, took over as the Giants' interim head coach in '17. His deep ties to New York and stellar resume are hard to ignore.
Pierce last coached the Raiders in '24 after becoming the interim head coach the previous season. His one-and-done stint as a full-time HC wasn't very impressive as he went 4-13 and was subsequently sacked. The biggest thing working in Pierce's favor, should he covet the Giants' job, might be the fact that he played for the G-Men in the final five seasons of his NFL career and won a Super Bowl with them.
Like Spags and Pierce, Anarumo also has strong ties to the Giants organization having served as the defensive backs coach back in '18. The 59-year-old gained leagu-wide recognition as the Bengals' DC for six years before joining the AFC-leading Colts this past offseason, and he could be eying a golden opportunity to land his first ever NFL head coaching gig.
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