Giants To Start QB Jameis Winston In Week 11
With Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol, the Giants will turn to their third different starting quarterback of the season in Week 11. Jameis Winston will get the nod on Sunday against the Packers, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
After Dart suffered his injury in last week’s loss to the Bears, season-opening starter Russell Wilson replaced him. With the Wilson experiment having gone poorly this year, newly named interim head coach Mike Kafka will try his hand with Winston in his first game replacing the fired Brian Daboll.
Roughly a month before the Giants traded up to draft Dart 25th overall in April, they brought in Wilson and Winston as potential stopgaps in free agency. Wilson inked a one-year, $10.5MM deal, while Winston signed on for two years and $8MM.
Regardless of who grabs the reins as the Giants’ full-time head coach, Wilson is all but assured to leave the team after the season. Considering Winston’s already under contract, he figures to serve as Dart’s backup in 2026. It’s worth noting that a portion of Winston’s salary for next season is already guaranteed.
The Giants used Winston as their emergency third QB until Kafka took over. The battle-tested former No. 1 overall pick is now in line to make the 88th start of his career since he entered the NFL with the Buccaneers in 2015.
Also a former Saint and Brown, Winston most recently saw regular-season action with Cleveland in Week 15 last year. He made seven starts in 12 appearances with the Browns and completed 61.1% of passes for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Browns went 2-5 in Winston’s starts. He and Kafka will hope for better results on Sunday.
Giants K Graham Gano Returns To IR
It was an inauspicious start to the season in New York when kicker Graham Gano was placed on injured reserve after only the third game of the season. After only appearing in 18 of a possible 34 games in the past two seasons, the Giants needed Gano healthy as they entered his sixth year with the team. Gano was able to return a couple weeks ago after missing the minimum four games but has promptly been returned to IR, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 
Gano, 38, has been with the Giants since 2020, earning two separate three-year extensions for a combined $30.5MM. It was a knee injury that sidelined Gano for nine games in 2023, while a groin issue held him out of seven contests last year. In addition to the injuries, Gano struggled with his accuracy whenever he was available. Gano missed six of 17 field goal attempts in 2023, with two misses coming from inside the 30-yard line. While he improved a bit in 2024, going nine for 11, one of those misses was also from inside 40 yards.
It was, once again, a groin injury that landed Gano on IR near the start of this year. The injury occurred during pregame warmups, and Gano tried to make a go of it later in the game after punter Jamie Gillan saw his sole extra point attempt blocked, but ultimately, an IR placement was needed. This time, it was reportedly neck soreness — later determined to be a herniated disk (per Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports) — that threatened Gano’s playing time and ultimately led to his second IR stint this season.
After Gano’s first injury, the team signed veteran kicker Younghoe Koo to their practice squad, joining him with existing taxi squad kicker Jude McAtamney. New York opted to go with McAtamney in those four weeks without Gano, but after watching him miss three extra point attempts in two games and only sending him out to attempt field goals shorter than 32 yards, the Giants switched it up with Koo last week. Koo made both of his point after tries and both of his field goal attempts in the Windy City.
Already rostering Koo and McAtamney on the taxi squad and Gano on IR, the team added a bit more insurance yesterday by making Ben Sauls the third kicker on their 17-man practice squad. Sauls has made the rounds since signing as an undrafted free agent with the Steelers after kicking in the same stadium in college at Pitt. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster, Sauls signed with Koo’s former Falcons on a practice squad deal before getting released last Tuesday.
We identified Gano as a potential cap casualty in the offseason, and at this point, shuffling three kicking replacements on their practice squad, the Giants likely regret not acting on that possible cost-cutting move. Utilizing the potential out built into his contract, which expires in 2027, New York could have reclaimed $3.17MM of cap savings by cutting Gano early in the offseason with only $2.5MM of dead money to burn. If they had made him a post-June 1 release, they may have gotten $4.42MM in cap savings with only $1.25MM of dead money.
Instead, his contract remains on the ledger, and the Giants are paying three practice squad contracts as they search for an effective, consistent injury replacement for the third season in a row. The current situation has set Gano up to be a cut candidate once again in the near future.
Broncos To Bring Back Lil’Jordan Humphrey
A day after adding tackle Geron Christian off the Cowboys’ practice squad, the Broncos are raiding another NFC East team’s P-squad to add more offensive help.
The team is bringing back Lil’Jordan Humphrey, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, adding him off the Giants’ taxi squad. Humphrey, who played for Sean Payton in New Orleans and Denver, is likely to play against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Joining the Giants this offseason (before yoyoing on and off their roster), Humphrey has played in three games. Although he has only seen action in a fraction of New York’s contests, the journeyman wideout started two of those and logged an 81% snap share in the game he has played. The Broncos used Humphrey regularly last season and are making an update to their receiving depth chart ahead of a crucial contest.
The Giants had used the maximum of three gameday elevations on Humphrey this season. With the team needing to give him a spot on its 53-man roster in order to give him a game uniform again this season, Mike Kafka‘s operation will instead see him depart. Humphrey joins a Broncos team loosely linked to wide receiver trades before this year’s deadline, but like the Bills and Steelers, the AFC contender stood pat.
Payton used Humphrey on 50% of the Broncos’ offensive plays last season, giving him the most run of anyone besides Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele at the position in 2024. Second-year cog Troy Franklin has seized Denver’s No. 2 wideout role this year, and the team has increasingly used Pat Bryant more as the season has progressed. Bryant’s blocking has appealed to Denver’s coaching staff, but Humphrey was viewed as a plus blocker previously. The Broncos have also missed Marvin Mims for the past two games due to a concussion. With Trent Sherfield rounding out the group, Humphrey will give Denver six WRs on its 53-man roster.
Humphrey, 28, played for Payton from 2019-21 with the Saints. After spending the 2022 season in New England, the big-bodied backup followed Payton to Denver in 2023. Humphrey made 15 starts from 2023-24 and posted a career-high 293 receiving yards last season, doing so after catching three touchdown passes in 2023. He caught four passes for 55 yards with the Giants, who are letting him go despite losing Malik Nabers for the season and having seen Darius Slayton miss time this year.
Giants Name Tim Kelly Interim Offensive Coordinator; Mike Kafka Remains Play-Caller
After a promotion from offensive coordinator to interim head coach earlier this week, Mike Kafka will continue to call the plays for the Giants. Kafka named an interim offensive coordinator on Wednesday, though, announcing that tight ends coach Tim Kelly will take the reins (via Dan Duggan of The Athletic).
Kafka confirmed that he and Kelly will work with a new starting quarterback this week in Jameis Winston. With Jaxson Dart battling a concussion, Winston will face the Packers on Sunday.
Dart is “right on track and right on pace” in his recovery, Kafka said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). The Giants haven’t ruled Dart out yet, but they’re understandably taking a cautious approach with the prized first-round rookie.
Kelly, who joined the Giants’ staff ahead of the 2024 campaign, is becoming an O-coordinator for the third time. The 39-year-old previously served in that role with the Texans from 2019-21 and the Titans in 2023.
Kelly was at the helm in Houston during quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s final two years of action with the club. Watson went to the Pro Bowl in both 2019 and 2020 under Kelly, who led an offense that was a middle-of-the-pack unit in those seasons. The Texans were a playoff team in 2019, but they fired head coach Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start the next year. Romeo Crennel finished the campaign as Houston’s interim HC.
After going 4-8 under Crennel, the Texans hired David Culley in 2021. He retained Kelly, but the OC no longer had Watson at his disposal. Watson spent the entire season inactive after sexual harassment allegations came to light. The Texans primarily turned to Davis Mills under center in Watson’s place. Houston’s offense was among the worst in the league that year, and the team moved on from Culley and his coaching staff after the season.
Kelly quickly landed on his feet on Mike Vrabel‘s staff in Tennessee, working as the Titans’ passing game coordinator in 2022 before taking over the offense the next season. With a fading Ryan Tannehill and struggling rookie Will Levis as their QBs, the Titans finished a woeful 27th in points and 28th in yardage during a 6-11 showing in 2023. They didn’t retain Vrabel or his staff beyond then.
The Giants will look outside for a full-time replacement for Brian Daboll, whom they fired Monday, though Kafka will receive consideration for the job. He and Kelly will try to make their cases for promotions over the next several weeks.
Brian Daboll Fallout: Giants, Kafka, Schoen
The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll on Monday after his team blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead in Sunday’s loss to the Bears.
The move has major ramifications for the short- and long-term future of the franchise. The biggest immediate impact is the installment of offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as the interim head coach. He will retain play-calling duties, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, who noted that the Giants offense has been notably better with Kafka calling plays than with Daboll.
Kafka will likely be evaluated as a candidate for the permanent head coaching gig over the rest of the season. Rookie Jaxson Dart has looked like a potential franchise quarterback thus far, so Kafka’s ability to develop the first-round pick will be a crucial part of his audition.
Daboll was rumored to be on the hot seat for a while, so the Giants’ decision was not a complete surprise. Players were aware of the team’s frustration and knew it was possible, if not likely, that Daboll would be removed as a result of his squad’s latest collapse.
The close ties between Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen – who spent three years together in Buffalo before joining the Giants in the same offseason – have already stirred speculation that Schoen could also be on the way out. The Giants are retaining him for now, indicating that he and Daboll are not necessarily a package deal.
A separate decision on Schoen will likely come at the end of the season, according to The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor, partially because he will play a major role in organizing the search process for the Giants’ next head coach. He was heavily involved in the hiring process that brought Daboll to New York in 2022, along with the team’s principal owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, as well as senior personnel consultant (and John Mara’s brother), Chris Mara. John Mara is currently undergoing treatment for cancer; while he stated an intention to continue in his duties, moving on from Schoen would have doubled the team’s search for new leadership while eliminating a key part of that effort.
Schoen may also stick around because the Giants have already invested in his vision for their internal operations. He restructured their approach to the draft and incorporated data analytics into scouting, roster management, and week-to-week game-planning. Ownership was encouraged by this progress, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, so they may not want to move on from Schoen after already implementing many of his ideas.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/25
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DL Ben Stille
- Released: OL Raiqwon O’Neal, LS Zach Triner
Buffalo Bills
- Released: DE Kingsley Jonathan, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Mike White
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE K.J. Henry, DE Ochaun Mathis
- Released: DT Simeon Barrow Jr.
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Anthony Firkser
- Released: OL Jack Conley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LS Peter Bowden
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Nick Muse
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Shemar Bartholomew
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Jonathan Ward
- Released: WR Brenden Rice
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Zach Davidson, K Ben Sauls
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Tre Brown
- Released: DB J.T. Woods
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DT Desmond Watson
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR River Cracraft
The Panthers waived White from their practice squad on Nov. 8, but the team quickly brought the veteran signal-caller back. White will continue to provide experienced depth behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton. He served as the Panthers’ emergency third QB in their Week 9 win over the Packers.
Giants Fire HC Brian Daboll
Brian Daboll‘s time in New York has come to an end. The fourth-year head coach has been fired, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The news is now official, per a team announcement. 
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over as interim head coach, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. Today’s news comes one day after the Giants dropped to 2-8 for the third straight season under Daboll. The team has blown double-digit leads four times during road losses this year, adding further to the speculation a change could be made before the end of the campaign.
[RELATED: GM Joe Schoen To Lead Giants’ HC Search]
“We spoke this morning about the direction of our franchise on the field, and we have decided that, at this time, it is in our best interest to make a change at the head coaching position,” a statement from owners John Mara and Steve Tisch reads in part. “The past few seasons have been nothing short of disappointing, and we have not met our expectations for this franchise. We understand the frustrations of our fans, and we will work to deliver a significantly improved product.”
Entering the 2025 season, Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were widely known to be on the hot seat. The selection of first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart seemed to pave the way for one or both to be retained depending on how his development progressed. Dart has shown flashes when on the field, but the rookie suffered a concussion yesterday after being evaluated for one for the fourth different time dating back to the preseason. Criticism regarding the Giants’ handling of Dart has increased given the frequency of hits he has taken, with much of it being directed Daboll’s way.
No other changes are taking place at this point, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. That means Schoen as well as defensive coordinator Shane Bowen – whose job security has also been questioned through much of the campaign – are safe for the time being. Changes on those fronts will be worth watching for after the year, but for now attention will turn to Kafka — the Giants’ second interim HC (after Steve Spagnuolo in 2017) this century — and his ability to guide the Giants to something of a rebound.
The Daboll-Schoen tandem was hired with high expectations after its success with the Bills. Things got off to a notable start, with the Giants going 9-7-1 in 2022. New York won a wild-card game and Daboll took home Coach of the Year honors. Since then, however, very little has gone according to plan. The Giants are on their way to a third straight season well below .500. Overall, Daboll’s tenure will end with a record of 20-40-1. Tension between he and Schoen was reported this past spring, and other internal matters like the less-than-cordial departure of former DC Don Martindale will leave an unwanted legacy in Daboll’s case.
The 50-year-old has worked as an offensive coordinator with four different NFL teams; he also held that role at Alabama for one year prior to joining the Bills. Daboll’s work in developing Josh Allen made him an attractive candidate on the head coaching market, and he joined the Giants with the hopes of maximizing Daniel Jones‘ talent. Both before and after Jones inked a four-year, $160MM pact, that did not prove to be the case.
Jones was cut midway through last season, one in which Saquon Barkley – who joined the Eagles in free agency upon playing out the franchise tag – enjoyed a record-breaking debut campaign. In the aftermath of the commitment made by Daboll and Schoen backfiring, many pointed to this past offseason as a logical point for at least one to be replaced. Immediately after the campaign, though, Mara confirmed both would be retained.
It nevertheless became clear at that point Mara’s patience was running thin. The draft provided the Giants with a potential new franchise passer in Dart, and as expected he quickly took over starting duties after Russell Wilson opened the year atop the depth chart. Daboll unilaterally made the decision to bench Wilson and replace him with Dart, a move many viewed as an attempt to avoid a firing. Schoen and Co. endorsed the switch, one whose impact cannot fully be seen given the season-ending injuries suffered by Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo.
Kafka will be tasked with taking charge of a shorthanded offensive unit the rest of the way. This will mark his first head coaching opportunity at any level. Kafka, 38, saw his role with the Giants vary over time but he has once again handled play-calling duties in 2025. It will be interesting to see if that remains the case over the closing weeks of the campaign.
Kafka has been lined to outside HC interest in the past, and his stock for the 2026 hiring cycle will of course be greatly influenced by his performances over the next two months. The Giants have not been able to find stability on the sidelines since the end of the Tom Coughlin era. Including Kafka, the team has employed six different head coaches since 2016.
Mara and the Giants generally avoid making in-season moves such as this. Indeed, Kafka is only the fourth coach to hold the interim title in franchise history. If he earns the full-time gig, New York will not be in the market for another reset on the sidelines. Failing that, however, the Giants will join the Titans (and, no doubt, other teams) in seeking out a new hire. Daboll should not be expected to receive a second head coaching look in the near future based on how his first stint went, but he could be sought after once more as a coordinator.
Giants GM Joe Schoen To Lead HC Search
Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll joined the organization together in 2022, but they’re not leaving as a package deal. After Daboll steered the Giants to a 20-40-1 record, including a 2-8 start this year, they fired him on Monday. Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch agreed it was time to move on from Daboll during a phone conversation on Monday morning, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.
Mara and Tisch made the decision to choose offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as the Giants’ interim head coach, according to Schwartz. The team later announced that Schoen is staying on to lead the search for a full-time successor to Daboll.
“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” said Mara. Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect.”
The Giants’ official statement will be the last time they address the Daboll firing for now, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports. They’re not planning to make ownership or Schoen available for interviews this week.
This isn’t the ending the Giants envisioned when the Schoen/Daboll reign began in promising fashion in 2022. The Giants went 9-7-1 and won a wild-card playoff game over the Vikings before losing to the Eagles in the divisional round. Daboll earned Coach of the Year honors.
New York has posted horrid results over the past two-plus years, but Mara and Tisch continue to hold Schoen in high regard, per Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. Giants ownership is of the belief that Schoen has been a significant upgrade over predecessor Dave Gettleman, who was at the helm from 2018-21. The Giants stumbled to a 19-46 mark under Gettleman and failed to earn a playoff berth.
Although the team Schoen has assembled will miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Giants have enough talent to make their head coaching job a “coveted” opening, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says. A new head coach stands to inherit first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers, co-NFL sacks leader Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Dexter Lawrence, among other enticing pieces.
While it could be a couple of months before the Giants name their next head coach, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, and Colts DC Lou Anarumo are among names to watch, Rapoport relays.
Spagnuolo has won four Super Bowls as a coordinator, including one with the Giants under Tom Coughlin, but he finished an ugly 10-38 as the St. Louis Rams’ head coach from 2009-11. Spagnuolo then went 1-3 as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017, briefly taking over after the firing of Ben McAdoo.
Pierce had a great run as a Giants linebacker from 2005-09, winning a title as part of a Spagnuolo-coached defense. Like Spagnuolo, though, Pierce’s initial experience as an NFL head coach didn’t go well. The Raiders dismissed Pierce last January after going 9-17 under him in parts of two seasons.
Anarumo is a Staten Island native who worked as the Giants’ defensive backs coach in 2018. His son currently serves as a pro scout in the organization, Vacchiano notes. Anarumo, then the Bengals’ D-coordinator, interviewed for the Giants’ head coaching job before it went to Daboll. The longtime assistant “left a strong impression” during that meeting, sources told Vacchiano. With Anarumo an important part of the Colts’ unexpected turnaround this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants or other teams in the market for a head coach speak with him in the coming months.
Jon Runyan Jr., Devin Singletary, Graham Gano Among Giants’ Cut Candidates
The Giants fell to 2-8 on the year thanks to another blown fourth-quarter lead. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is in danger of missing Week 11 due to a concussion, and questions continue to linger about the job security of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. 
Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, a number of key decisions will need to be made after the season ends. Several veterans represent strong candidates to be released in cost-shedding moves with or without a new regime in place. As Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes, there are at least a few who are locks to be let go this offseason.
Among those is guard Jon Runyan Jr., running back Devin Singletary and kicker Graham Gano. Runyan signed with the Giants in free agency in 2024 after playing out his rookie contract with the Packers. The 28-year-old has served as a starter during his time in New York, but he has not managed to live up to expectations. Runyan is not owed any guaranteed salary for 2026, the final year of his deal. A release would create $9.25MM in cap savings while only generating $2.5MM in dead money.
Singletary spent one season in Houston after his four-year run in Buffalo came to an end. With the Giants in need of a Saquon Barkley replacement, he inked a three-year contract featuring $9.5MM in guarantees. That agreement did not result in an RB1 workload for Singletary with his new team, however. He logged a rotational role during his debut New York campaign before seeing his workload reduced even further in 2025. With Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo each on their rookie deals, cutting Singletary (and saving $5.25MM in the process) would come as little surprise.
Gano has been a consistent contributor when healthy over the course of his Giants tenure, but injuries have been an issue dating back to 2023. The 38-year-old has only played in 23 games across the past three seasons and Slater deems him a “sure thing” to be released. Doing so would yield $4.5MM in savings against a dead money charge of only $1.25MM.
Plenty of other moves will be made ahead of the 2026 campaign, but as Slater notes the Giants are currently projected to be in the bottom half of the league in terms of cap space for next year. The team’s financial outlook will change dramatically if a major roster rest is pursued, but in any case those three cut candidates could very well find themselves on the move relatively soon.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart Suffers Concussion
A late blown lead resulted in another loss for the Giants. The team’s ability to rebound next week could be hampered by an injury at the quarterback spot. 
Jaxson Dart fumbled late in the third quarter of today’s game against the Bears. He was not initially evaluated on the sidelines after his head hit the field on the play and returned to the game during New York’s next possession. During the period between quarters, however, the rookie was tested in the medical tent before being taken to the locker room.
Shortly thereafter, Dart was officially ruled out of the contest with a concussion. The Giants’ offense was led by Russell Wilson the rest of the way. Despite leading by 10 points with less than four minutes remaining, New York wound up losing 24-20. That marks another close loss on the part of the Giants, a team whose offense is already without top receiver Malik Nabers and impressive running back Cam Skattebo.
It is likely Dart will be unavailable as well for Week 11. A path exists for players in concussion protocol to clear the required steps in time to play the following week, but absences spanning at least one game are commonplace. Presuming Dart is indeed sidelined for the next contest, the Giants will turn to Wilson as their starter once again.
That setup was in place at the start of the campaign, but as expected Dart took over QB1 duties in short order. Sunday marked the first-rounder’s seventh start of the season, although it included a continuation of a playing style many feared would result in an injury. In part due to the absences of Nabers and Skattebo, Dart has taken plenty of hits during his time in the lineup. Observers warned about injuries being an increased risk in his case, and he is now on track to miss time. The Giants were fined for their handling of Dart’s previous trip to the medical tent, but a repeat of that discipline should not be expected.
Wilson is a pending free agent, but the Giants elected to keep him past the trade deadline. Fellow veteran Jameis Winston – who is under contract through 2026 and hopes to remain with the team – will handle backup duties provided Dart is unable to suit up. Attention will turn to the latter’s recovery process before the Giants look to continue his development.