The New York Giants have a monumental decision ahead of them.
They have a young, talented roster that has underperformed badly, helmed by an exciting rookie quarterback. The pieces could be in place for a “shock the world” turnaround in 2026 and beyond, but they need the right coach to put all the pieces together.
But who is the right coach? The Giants are expected to cast a wide net when their coaching search begins in earnest, and the opening is expected to be an exciting one that attracts the top candidates.
This week we asked the Big Blue View community which current coordinator with head coaching experience they would want to be the Giants’ next head coach.
The choices were:
- Steve Spagnuolo (DC, Kansas City Chiefs)
- Kliff Kingsbury (OC, Washington Commanders)
- Matt Nagy (OC, Kansas City Chiefs)
- Vance Joseph (DC, Denver Broncos)
- Arthur Smith (OC, Pittsburgh Steelers)
In no great surprise, most Giants fans voted for a reunion with Steve Spagnuolo.
This was the expected result, and it almost wasn’t fair to have Spags among the options. However, given his connections to the city and franchise — not to mention the fact that he’s coached in 7 Super Bowls with 4 rings.
There’s also the possibility that Mike Kafka would agree to stay on as the Giants’ offensive coordinator under Spagnuolo. The two might have a preexisting reslationship after coaching on the same staff under Andy Reid at Kansas City. That could be an ideal outcome for Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense, who have played surprisingly well this year. Dart has exceeded expectations since being named the Giants’ starter back in Week 3, and hasn’t looked like the usual “rookie” quarterback. Likewise, the offense has punched well out of its weightclass, considering the injuries and overall talent level on that side of the ball.
If we take Spagnuolo out of the equation, things get a lot more competitive.
Kliff Kingsbury has a slight lead over Vance Joseph, which makes sense on both counts. Fostering Dart’s development is paramount for the Giants, as having a true Franchise Quarterback is one of the biggest drivers of sustained success in the NFL. Kingsbury is well regarded for how he molds his system around young quarterbacks while teaching them to be professionals.
Fans (well, some fans, at least) have expressed significant concerns regarding candidates’ records as head coaches. And while Kingsbury was fired after a 4-13 record in 2022, the Cardinals improved in each of his first three seasons as head coach. He went 5-10-1 in his first season, 8-8 in his second season, and then 11-6 in his third season (2021), which was the franchise’s best record since 2015 under Bruce Arians.
It also makes sense that a significant number of fans would be interested in Vance Joseph. The Giants’ defense has been a big pain point over the last couple years and has been severely disappointing this year despite some massive investments on that side of the ball. Joseph has built a fierce defense in Denver that is among the NFL’s best against both the run and the pass.
Finally, it also makes a certain amount of sense that fans are relatively unenthused by the idea of Matt Nagy or Arthur Smith as head coaches. Nagy has a 34-31 record as a head coach, but the high point of his tenure with the Chicago Bears was his first year (12-4 in 2018). Smith, meanwhile, is very well regarded around the NFL, but his three-straight 7-win seasons with the Falcons is uninspiring, while his work as the Steeler’s offensive coordinator isn’t particularly exciting.
Spinning over to the weekly fan confidence poll, belief in the Giants’ future has ticked up slightly over the bye week, but not significantly.
The Giants were the only team in the NFC East to not lose this past week, and at the same time they gained ownership of the No.1 overall pick — at least for now. So the Giants came as close as possible to “winning” the bye week as a 2-11 team can come. However, only 37 percent of fans are confident in the future of the franchise.
All in all, it makes sense that we’re in a holding pattern, considering the Giants haven’t played since their disastrous game against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Fans are right to be in a “show me” mindset with regards to the bye week. It’s certainly possible that the team could improve coming out of their bye, but we need to see it first.
Personally, I would expect fan confidence to rebound if the team plays well (and wins) this week and as we close out the season.
