Daboll returns to MetLife as Titans OC with no extra fanfare

OriginalGlobal Sportscast deskSep 25, 2026 · 15:55 UTC

The short version

Brian Daboll returns to MetLife Stadium for the first time since the Giants fired him as head coach in November
Daboll went 9-7-1 with a playoff berth and NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2022, then won 11 of his next 44 games
Daboll praised the Mara and Tisch families and called the focus his Titans players
Daboll addressed the season-ending knee injury to Giants QB Jaxson Dart, with whom he has a close relationship

Brian Daboll, fired as Giants head coach last November, faces his old team Sunday as Tennessee's offensive coordinator — and insists it's just another week.

Brian Daboll will walk back into MetLife Stadium on Sunday for the first time since the New York Giants fired him as head coach last November. Now the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, he spent Thursday speaking to reporters in Nashville about the reunion — and doing his best to shrink it down to size.

"A big week ahead," Daboll said. "A challenging opponent, a good football team. … We have a bunch of work to do. It will be a big challenge for us on the road."

The history makes the matchup hard to dismiss as routine. Daboll's first season in New York was a standout: a 9-7-1 record in 2022, a trip to the playoffs, and NFL Coach of the Year honors. After that, the franchise unraveled. He won just 11 of his next 44 games, and after a 2-8 start last season the Giants replaced him with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Daboll told reporters he has been through this kind of homecoming before and approaches it like any other week on the NFL calendar.

"I've faced a lot of former teams before," he said. "It's a one-week season every week. So, you have to put everything you've got into it; you have to get ready for scheme, new coordinators on their end, different players, and as simple as it is, that's what it is every week in the National Football League."

While he kept the stakes low, Daboll was warm about the organization that once employed him — including the families that own it. "I have a ton of respect for the people in that organization. I'm very grateful for the opportunity the Mara family and the Tisch family gave me, from the top to the bottom, really good people in that building," he said. "But it is about our players, and it is about getting ready for a game. … The focus is on our players."

There is a personal layer to the week as well. The Giants will be playing their first game since starting quarterback Jaxson Dart was lost for the season with a knee injury — a player Daboll knows well. "It's always tough. I have a very good relationship with him," Daboll said. "Obviously he's devastated with what happened. Prayers to him, his family, great people... I got a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him, and I know he'll come back stronger than ever."

The Titans visit the Giants on Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM EDT at MetLife Stadium. The game airs on CBS.