Let’s ring in the new year by catching up on the latest news and rumors regarding who will be the new head coach of the 2026 New York Giants.
Kevin Stefanski: “Ideal fit”
The Cleveland Browns’ head coach is not currently available. That could be about to change.
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said recently that the Browns have done “preliminary research” about a potential Stefanski replacement.
A two-time Coach of the Year, Stefanski is about to complete his sixth season as Browns head coach. There have been plenty of questions about his future, and there is speculation that the Browns and Stefanski may mutually decide to part ways.
Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature told Big Blue View he thought the chances of Stefanski staying in Cleveland were “50/50.”
“I think they decide on a mutual split,” Mueller said.
The Browns have gone 7-26 over the past two seasons and are 44-56 (.440 winning percentage) with two playoff appearances during Stefanski’s tenure.
I asked Mueller if Stefanski was a victim of circumstances in Cleveland, or if the 43-year-old coach was part of the problem.
“He’s a very good coach,” Mueller said. “A little risk adverse, but overall great.”
Fowler wrote on ESPN that Stefanski “might be the strongest retread candidate” and that “the Giants would be an ideal fit.”
For me, if Stefanski becomes available he jumps to the top of the list of candidates for the Giants’ job.
He spent seven of his 14 years as an assistant with the Minnesota Vikings coaching quarterbacks, and one with Minnesota as offensive coordinator. That checks the vital “would he be able to develop Jaxson Dart?” box.
He obviously checks the “head-coaching experience” box. His two Coach of the Year honors check the credibility box that might be critical for a team where culture and player accountability became a problem over the past couple of seasons. It might be considered miraculous that Stefanski won those two awards, considering the dysfunction of the Cleveland organization in recent years. If Stefanski can handle that, he can certainly handle the sometimes muddy lines of authority in the Giants’ organization.
In an alternate universe, Stefanski might already be Giants’ head coach. When the Giants hired Pat Shurmur in 2018, Shurmur wanted Stefanski to come along from Minnesota as offensive coordinator. The Vikings blocked that lateral move.
Mike McCarthy: “Step backwards”
The 62-year-old McCarthy has the best resume of any currently available coach. He is 174-112-2 (.608 winning percentage) with 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title over 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. He has had 11 double-digit victory seasons.
McCarthy is offensive head coach and long-time play caller who would certainly seem to be a natural fit for Dart. Does that make him the best candidate? Dave Halprin of SB Nation’s Blogging The Boys told Big Blue View he does not think so:
“Mike McCarthy talked a good game about updating his offense and using analytics when he came to Dallas, but after a while it didn’t really feel like he had. He also seemed to have a little more drama going on in the locker room than we knew when he was coaching,” Halprin said. “To me it would feel like a step backwards for your organization. It is true he is pretty good with QBs so he might help Jaxson Dart grow, but everything else about his coaching, including some brutal in-game decisions around time management, would make me wary of hiring him.”
Dan Graziano of ESPN said of McCarthy that “I’m not sure McCarthy gets another shot, but he could get some looks.”
I don’t know if McCarthy would be considered a serious candidate for the Giants’ job. I would not be surprised, though, if he is one of the first potential candidates interviewed. He is available, meaning the Giants wouldn’t have to wait until after the divisional round of the playoffs to conduct an in-person interview.
Jeff Hafley: “Seems to have some traction”
In my recent “Building the perfect coach for the Giants” post, Hafley scored highly. In fairness, so did McCarthy and — great resume or not — I am not sure McCarthy would be a great choice for the Giants.
Fowler said this about the Packers’ defensive coordinator:
“He seems to have some traction in New York, too. I’ve heard his name linked to the Giants job a few times in my calls over the past week, and I expect him to be on their list. Hafley is also a geographical fit as a Montvale, New Jersey, native.
Hafley has been a head coach, albeit at Boston College. He is considered a leader. He played football at Siena College in upstate New York and coached at UAlbany and Rutgers. As I wrote previously, “Hafley is a Jersey guy who just has not coached an NFL team in New Jersey yet.”
Is that connection to the market, or to the Giants, important? It is to me. I think the Giants have lost the connection to their successful history, and would be well-served to look for someone who remembers or experienced it in some way.
It’s like Mufasa telling Simba in ‘The Lion King’: “Remember who you are.”
The biggest question with Hafley is whether or not he would be able to assemble an offensive coaching staff that would properly support Dart.
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