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Giants news, 1/6: Joe Schoen to stay, John Mara, Mike Kafka

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

From Big Blue View

Other Giant observations

Head coaches 1. Browns HC Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski is an excellent fit as an offensive-minded head coach who has shown he can scheme quarterbacks into success. The Browns are a disaster, but Stefanski himself is widely respected as a play-caller, and he’s still young enough (he’ll be 44 in May) that he can be considered up-and-coming despite having already been a head coach for six years.

Current coordinators 1. Chargers DC Jesse Minter. Minter’s Chargers defense is one of the best in the league. He has the pedigree of working under both John and Jim Harbaugh and is considered one of the top defensive minds in the league. He’s shown that he can coach in both college and the NFL, which could help him with New York’s young roster.

Interview timelines as mandated by the NFL

Giants decision to bring back Joe Schoen makes it clear: They have no standards anymore | The Athletic

As discouraging as that decision is for fans who somehow still muster support for a team that is getting further from its proud history with each passing season, that’s ownership’s right. If your grandfather had spent $500 to purchase the Giants in 1925, you, too, could make decisions that prioritized keeping family members and allies in cushy roles as the franchise bottoms out during one of the worst stretches in its 101-year history.

But even Schoen is only a symptom of the rot that has infected the franchise. Just look through the staff directory and note how many people with lofty titles have survived losing season after losing season. That focus starts with members of ownership in prominent front office roles. It was the very arrangement that franchise-saving general manager George Young prevented during his tenure from 1979-97.

The first move this winter is so obvious that not even he can screw it up. Schoen needs to pick up the phone, if he hasn’t already and make Kevin Stefanski an offer he can’t refuse to become the next head coach — because, chances are, the Giants won’t be the only team coming after him.

This is an easy decision given the available options (and, yes, we’ll address the big name not currently available in a minute). The Giants need someone with experience as a head coach, an offensive background to develop quarterback Jaxson Dart and an ability to adapt to difficult circumstances.

Asked if he would remain on as the offensive coordinator should he not land the head coaching job, Kafka refused to discuss hypotheticals.

“I love working here. I love working for Mr. Mara and Mr. Tisch,” he said. “Their families are unbelievable; this ownership is unbelievable. This city is unbelievable. The team, the players, the coaches, the staff — I really love it here. “I’m going to continue to enjoy it until they tell me I can’t anymore. It’s been an honor and a privilege to be in this role. It’s a privilege, not a right. One thing I can say is, I gave it everything I had. And I will continue to do so for this organization as long as I can.”

Serby: Giants’ biggest offseason task is finding perfect coach for Jaxson Dart — and where they should start | New York Post

What John Mara wants more than anything as he wages this life-and-death battle with cancer is believing that there is hope for a better tomorrow for his beloved Giants.

On a day when the Giants won one for him, on a day when his family and his football family applauded as he proudly and gratefully accepted the game ball in the locker room from interim HC Mike Kafka following Giants 34, Cowboys 17, Mara could feel optimistic that his franchise has the right young franchise quarterback.

Orlovsky: Dart makes the Giants job the most attractive

John Mara’s passion for Giants creates lasting mark | New York Daily News

It is about acknowledging and appreciating John Mara the man, the co-owner and team president, whose grueling cancer battle is a brutal reminder of this business’s often-overlooked human side. He is a good man, a family man, a father and a husband and a grandfather. He consistently reads, answers and internalizes fan emails about the team.

The Giants organization is synonymous with Mara’s values, priorities and personal touch. Mara’s passion, though, is the Giants. And nothing means more to him than a gameday, and the Giants’ fans, and delivering on the daily promise of trying to bring a championship back to New York.

In his 12th and final start as a rookie, Dart completed 22 of 32 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns for a career-high 110.2 passer rating. He also ran five times for 32 yards. Dart’s highlight of the day was an impromptu backhand flip to tight end Daniel Bellinger, who caught it and weaved his way through defenders for a 29-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 16-10 halftime lead.

Dart ended his rookie campaign with 24 total touchdowns, including a franchise-record nine rushing scores. The No. 25 overall draft pick trails only Charlie Conerly (27 in 1948) and Daniel Jones (26 in 2019) for the most total touchdowns in Giants history by a rookie quarterback. Dart also joined Eli Manning (2004) as the only rookie quarterbacks in franchise history to beat the Cowboys.

How Jaxson Dart is convincing Giants to believe in magic of his game | The Record

A veteran scout named Milt Davis had provided Ernie Accorsi a piece of advice when both were with the Colts ‒ then with respect to Johnny Unitas ‒ that ultimately played a part in Eli Manning becoming the quarterback of the New York Giants.

“What I learned about how you judge a quarterback [from Davis]: Can he take the team down the field with the championship on the line and get it in the end zone?” Accorsi recalled for NorthJersey.com and The Record in a 2019 interview.

Cam Skattebo on the Giants fans embracing him this year

3 biggest Giants questions entering the 2026 NFL offseason | SNY.tv

Can the Giants fix their defense? New York devoted multiple high draft picks to the defense, including Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, Tyler Nubin and Deonte Banks. The Giants also added talent through trades, most notably Brian Burns, and free agency with signings such as Bobby Okereke, Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland.

For a young quarterback, defensive stability is often critical — particularly the ability to keep games within one score and reduce pressure late. That support was largely absent this season. Addressing the defense will be a priority this offseason, whether through changes in leadership aimed at maximizing the existing personnel or through roster turnover designed to inject new production and accountability.

2026 NFL offseason: Free agents, draft notes, predictions | ESPN.com

Big prediction for the offseason: The Giants will trade down in the first round of the draft. They’re already set at quarterback and edge rusher, where many mock drafts have Arvell Reese and Rueben Bain Jr. as the first non-quarterbacks off the board. They need more talent at other positions, which they could address further down.

Post-Week 18 Mock Draft: Raiders take Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, Commanders select Caleb Downs at No. 7 | PFF

5. NEW YORK GIANTS: WR JORDYN TYSON, ARIZONA STATE. The Giants aren’t devoid of defensive talent, and a new coaching staff in 2026 should allow that unit to outperform its 2025 results. Offensively, the line remains a long-term concern, but the more immediate issue may be the lack of playmakers. With Malik Nabers recovering from a major knee injury and Wan’Dale Robinson set to hit free agency, New York could be forced to add another difference-maker in the passing game. Tyson offers that upside, boasting the highest ceiling of the group after earning an 89.5 PFF receiving grade against man coverage this past season.

New York Giants. Home: Cowboys, Eagles, Commanders, Cardinals, Jaguars, 49ers, Titans, Browns, Saints. Away: Cowboys, Eagles, Commanders, Texans, Colts, Rams, Seahawks, Lions