Brian Daboll’s time in the hot seat with the New York Giants ended after the NFC East franchise’s latest collapse on Sunday. Firing calls reached an all-time high after a Week 10 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears, and the front office listened. The franchise wasted no time in looking ahead, with the next man up coming from within the organization itself, per Adam Schefter’s report.

“Giants OC Mike Kafka will be the interim head coach,” tweeted Adam Schefter.

Offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mike Kafka now takes over as the team goes on the hunt for new leadership. Meanwhile, Daboll’s firing makes him the second coach to be on the chopping block after the Tennessee Titans parted ways with Brian Callahan.

This move might have been in the works for a long time, just look at Kafka’s tenure. He came to New York in 2022 having groomed the Kansas City Chiefs. While he stayed the offensive coordinator of the Giants since then, he was also promoted to the position of assistant head coach last season. With this latest bombshell, it’s his game to run, at least for now.

Daboll, on the other hand, was supposed to be the answer to the franchise’s playoff dreams. His leadership in 2022 did get him the Coach of the Year, but since then the spark had fizzled. Quarterback shuffles and a constant bottom rank in the NFC East became the trend. This year was supposed to be different. And now, it will be. Just without Daboll.

Brian Daboll’s 2025 heartbreak

When the Giants signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, the move was met with mixed emotions. People wanted the Moon Balls for sure, but they were doubtful whether Wilson could do it consistently. Daboll was all-in with Russ, at first. When it became clear he couldn’t deliver, Daboll made the call to make rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart the starter, and for a while, it worked.

Dart rallied the locker room behind him, and even took down tough contenders like the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles once. But his tendency to make reckless plays got the better of him in Week 10. Dart, the projected franchise quarterback, now sits in concussion protocol. How Daboll had been handling Dart’s rookie year has also been a major talking point in the league this season.

But not anymore.

Shortly after the 24-20 Week 10 defeat, a post on X went viral claiming Brian Daboll had faced the axe in New York. When no reputed NFL insiders reported it, that post was deemed to be fake… well, right up until it wasn’t. But the Giants move on looking forward. 

Now, the biggest storyline will be how the Giants pivot in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers with Mike Kafka leading the fray. The coming matchups are only going to get harder, with the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots lined up behind Green Bay. Playoffs seem like a distant dream sitting at the bottom of the NFC East. Will Kafka be able to salvage their 2-8 record and bring back some regular season relevance at least?