The pressure is on New York Giants ownership to pick the right coach

Historically, the New York Giants are the polar opposite of the New York Jets. While the two NFL franchises share a home stadium, they couldn’t be more different in terms of prestige.

However, lately, that gap has been shrinking as both teams are mired in losing and incompetence. The Giants have won a Super Bowl every decade since the 1980s, but they are running out of time to get a Vince Lombardi Trophy in the 2020s. Since Tom Coughlin retired after the 2015 season, the franchise has fired four coaches, including Brian Daboll, who was let go earlier in the week. If the Giants hope to avoid falling into irrelevance, like the Jets, who haven’t been to the playoffs since the 2010 season, they need to hire the right person.

The Giants are conservative. They generally don’t make drastic moves. Even firing a coach in mid-season is rare. When Daboll was shown the door, it was only the second time it had happened since 1977. President, CEO, and co-owner John Mara has seen his proud franchise take some hits, most notably letting Saquon Barkley leave and power the archrival Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl.

The good news for Mara is that this should be an attractive job. Being the coach of the Giants still means something. Plus, there is young talent on the roster, including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers, and pass rusher Abdul Carter.

Who would be the ideal candidate? Since Coughlin, three of the Giants’ coaches have been rookies: Ben McAdoo, Joe Judge, and Daboll. If Mara decides to go with a veteran, there are two obvious choices. Mike McCarthy might be underwhelming in the playoffs (11-11), but he’s a proven winner in the regular season (174-112-2). And the former Dallas Cowboys coach knows the NFC East. Another possibility might be Bill Belichick, who has deep ties to the organization where he was the defensive coordinator for the team’s first two Super Bowl championship teams (1986 and 1990).

Getting Belichick to return to the NFL after his disastrous one-year college stint at North Carolina seems questionable. On his Instagram account on Friday night, Belichick wrote that he “will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies.” He also specially mentioned the Giants. That’s noteworthy. Also, do the Giants want him after how things ended for Belichick once Tom Brady left? Will Belichick demand personnel control given his questionable front-office moves in New England? Belichick is also 74. Mara might be willing to offer Belichick another shot, especially since the organization seems to be set at quarterback.

For now, Giants general manager Joe Schoen is safe and will lead the search for a new coach. He also might be inclined to favor a proven pro head coach rather than take a chance on someone new.

That would be shortsighted. Ideally, finding the best coach should mean looking at a diverse group and ultimately selecting the right fit. Perhaps that’s Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak or Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, or someone else who is waiting for their first chance to be an NFL head coach.

The Giants have rightly regarded themselves as superior to the Jets. They have a bigger fan base, and many of the older enthusiasts have experienced the joy of four Super Bowl victories. The Jets haven’t won it all since the 1968 season. However, if you take a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately point of view, these teams are not so different.

Since 2015, the Jets have the worst record in the NFL at 58-116. The second-worst belongs to the Giants (59-114-1), just slightly better than the Cleveland Browns (59-113-1). Who the Giants hire next will determine if that lousy trend continues.