The New York Giants have found their replacement for Joe Judge and have hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their new head coach, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.
The Miami Dolphins also had an interest in hiring Daboll, according to a source. The Giants later officially announced that Daboll has been hired.
Brian Daboll will aim to help fix the Giants’ offense
The adaptable, innovative offensive coach is an attractive archetype in the modern NFL. With the growing number of young quarterbacks in the league, teams are always looking to add coaches who can not only develop those quarterbacks but cater their offense to the signal-callers’ strengths. This is a foundational aspect of offensive success, and it’s one reason why Daboll will now lead the Giants.
Daboll’s first task will be to upgrade the play of quarterback Daniel Jones
Daboll’s collaboration with Bills star quarterback Josh Allen has been stellar. Allen is truly an elite quarterback.
The upstate New York native takes over a franchise in need of a boost. Daboll, 46, has been the Bills offensive coordinator since 2018 and is expected to call plays for the Giants. He was previously the offensive coordinator at Alabama, the Kansas City Chiefs, Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns.
Now, he reunites with former Bills executive Joe Schoen, the Giants’ new general manager.
Daboll also interviewed with the Dolphins and Chicago Bears. Ultimately, he didn’t want to leave New York. The new coach of the Giants has owned a home in the Buffalo area for several years, and he doesn’t have to relocate his family very far.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be named head coach of the New York Giants,” Daboll said in a statement. “Thank you to Joe Schoen for believing in me and to John Mara and Steve Tisch and their families for entrusting me with this position. My immediate goal is to assemble a coaching staff –- a strong staff that emphasizes teaching and collaboration and making sure our players are put in the position to be their best and, ultimately, to win games.
“That’s why all of us do this. To teach, to be successful, to develop talent, and to win. I have a pretty good idea where our fan base’s feelings are right now, and I get it. I promise we will work our tails off to put a team on the field that you will be proud to support and give us the results we all want.”
Brian Daboll’s coaching history
Unbeknownst to some, Daboll is actually a member of Bill Belichick’s coaching tree. After spending his first three coaching years in the college ranks, Daboll joined Belichick’s staff in 2000 as a defensive coaching assistant. He’d then spend time as the Patriots wide receivers coach from 2002 to 2006 before moving on to the next chapter of his NFL coaching history.
Tutelage in Foxborough
In Daboll’s first stint with New England, the Patriots won three Super Bowls. The dynastic success made teams across the league covet Patriots coaches, and Daboll rode that wave. He became the New York Jets quarterbacks coach in 2007. Then, in 2009, he made the leap to offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns.
A lack of security at his early coordinating spots forced Daboll to hop around a bit. After two difficult years in Cleveland, he’d join Tony Sparano’s Miami Dolphins in 2011, overseeing modest improvement for the Miami offense. Then, in 2012, Daboll joined Romeo Crennel with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Daboll was familiar with Crennel, who’d been New England’s defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2004. But the familiarity did not equate to success. Done in by the underwhelming quarterback duo of Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn, Daboll was let go along with the rest of Crennel’s staff at the end of the year.
After his tumultuous tour around the league, Daboll returned to Belichick’s staff in 2013, taking on a role as an offensive assistant. He’d win two more Super Bowls with New England from 2013 to 2016. In 2017, he joined the Alabama Crimson Tide and helped them to a national championship as offensive coordinator. It looked like Daboll was starting to near his peak, but his best performance was still yet to come.
Daboll’s time as Bills offensive coordinator
After coaching Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa in the college ranks, Daboll went back to the NFL. In 2018, Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane searched for an offensive coordinator. They hand-picked Daboll and officially announced his addition on January 14, 2018.
The Bills were clearly a team starved for playoff success, but the true stakes of Daboll’s latest NFL gig became clear months later. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills traded up into the top 10 to select Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. The move was met with criticism from many. Allen was viewed as an extremely raw prospect, and he was taken above Josh Rosen and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson.
Since then, Daboll has done nothing but develop the young quarterback. In 2021, Allen threw for 4,407 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He led the Bills to an 11-6 record and another AFC East title before losing in an instant classic to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
Questions will remain with Daboll as head coach, as they do with all candidates. But looking at his résumé as a whole, he might be one of the best options out there. He’s experienced and battle-tested. Yet, he’s still relatively young and innovative. Daboll worked under numerous legendary coaches, and he may soon follow in their footsteps.
The Giants look to kick-start a new era with Daboll and Schoen
For a team like the Giants looking to hit the reset button with a new regime, Daboll makes a whole lot of sense to lead with Schoen.
“We interviewed several people who are incredible coaches and all of whom are going to enjoy much more success in this league in their current positions and as a head coach,” Schoen said. “With that said, we — me and ownership — all felt Brian is the right person to serve as our head coach. Over the last four years, I have observed first-hand Brian’s strengths as a leader — he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard-working.
“Brian’s genuine and engaging personality is refreshing. He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential. I am thrilled to partner with Brian and welcome he and his family to this side of the state.”