The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll, and the team’s search for the next head coach is unofficially underway. While Mike Kafka will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, the Giants will almost certainly hire a new face to lead the organization in 2026 and beyond. While a lot can happen between now and the end of the regular season, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says that three names have emerged as early frontrunners in the search.
Per Rapoport’s report, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, and Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo are the current frontrunners to be the Giants head coach, although the decision is far from made.
Rapoport: 3 Names Leading Giants Head Coach Search
65-year-old Steve Spagnuolo has been around the NFL for over two decades now and made a name for himself as one of the game’s better defensive minds. He first earned public acclaim when his defense took down the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42, and he won three Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. While nobody can deny his ability to lead a defense, there are genuine concerns about his ability to lead an organization.
Steve Spagnulo was the St. Louis Rams head coach from 2009 to 2011, and his tenure did not go well. While he inherited a flawed roster, he never found a way to improve the organization. Spagnuolo went 11-41 during his three years with the Rams, and the stench from that disastrous stretch has prevented him from earning another chance as a head coach. Perhaps he can improve with more experience, but he’d be a risky signing.
Antonio Pierce, meanwhile, originally took over for Josh McDaniels as the Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach midway through the 2023 season. He proved to be a positive change for the organization, going 5-4 over the final nine games of the season and eventually earning the full-time job. However, he could not build on his impressive debut, as he went 4-13 in 2024 before losing the job to former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Lou Anarumo is the only guy on the Giants list who has not been a head coach with a previous organization. He spent the past two seasons as the Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator and is a big reason the team is currently tied for the best record in football. Prior to that, he served as the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2024, and the unit became exponentially worse once he left.
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