New York Giants News & Rumors

Coaching Notes: Shimko, Cowboys, Rams, Giants

The Cowboys continue to refine their offensive coaching staff. ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys will name Steve Shimko as their new quarterbacks coach.

After most recently serving as a Cowboys offensive assistant, Shimko is one of the main holdovers on Brian Schottenheimer‘s new staff. However, Shimko is plenty familiar with his new boss, as the two worked alongside each other in Seattle before reuniting in Dallas last year.

During that Seahawks stint, Shimko worked his way up from an offensive analyst into an assistant QBs coach. He left for Boston College in 2020, where he climbed the ranks from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. He only had a one-year stint in that latter role before Bill O’Brien brought on a new staff.

Shimko will be replacing Scott Tolzien, who spent two years coaching Dak Prescott and the Cowboys quarterbacks.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • Carlos Polk lost out on the Cowboys ST coordinator gig, but he’ll still land in Dallas as the team’s assistant special teams coach under Nick Sorensen, per Archer. Polk held this same role with the Cowboys in 2019, and he’s since held that title with the Jaguars (2021) and Bears (2022-2024). The former NFL linebacker has also had coaching stints with the Chargers and Buccaneers.
  • After losing Nick Caley to Houston, the Rams have found their new tight ends coach. The team has hired Scott Huff to lead the position grouping, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Huff had coaching stints at the University of Washington and Boise State before catching on with the Seahawks, where he spent last season coaching the offensive line. In Los Angeles, the coach will be responsible for a depth chart that’s currently led by Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson.
  • The Giants have added Chad Hall to their staff as an assistant quarterbacks coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hall will reunite with Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, as the trio worked alongside each other during their stints in Buffalo. A former NFL wide receiver, Hall coached that position with the Bills and Jaguars, but after eight years working up the ranks, he is now pivoting to the quarterbacks room.
  • Adam Morris has accepted a job as the Browns assistant defensive line coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. This is the coach’s first foray into the NFL, as he previously held jobs at Ball State, Eastern Illinois, and (most recently) the University at Buffalo. In that latter stop, Morris served as the defensive line coach/run game coordinator.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.

All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.

A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is a final look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

Coaching Notes: Faulk, Del Rio, Ryan, Bucs

His Cowboys and Raiders connections in the past, Deion Sanders is still at the controls at Colorado following his son’s exit for the draft. The Hall of Fame cornerback is hiring one of his Canton brethren to coach running backs. Buffaloes backs will be taking instruction from Marshall Faulk next season, the school announced. This will be Faulk’s first foray into college coaching. A superstar at San Diego State in the early 1990s, Faulk enjoyed a Hall of Fame run with the Colts and Rams, winning a Super Bowl and an MVP award in successive seasons. He had enjoyed a lengthy tenure on the media side following his career, but the 51-year-old RB legend will join Sanders’ staff. Faulk’s addition makes Colorado a three-Hall of Famer staff, as Warren Sapp remains as a quality control analyst.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • After being fired from his Commanders post late in the 2023 season, Jack Del Rio was not in the NFL this past season. The veteran DC and two-time HC will resurface in an unexpected place. He is taking over as head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football. The league has been in existence since fall 2020, and the Paris franchise has played two seasons. Del Rio had coached in the NFL from 1997-2017 but took two seasons off before Ron Rivera hired him in Washington. The team did sport two top-seven defenses under Del Rio, but his last Commanders unit fell to 32nd at the time of his firing. Del Rio, 61, spent last season as an advisor to Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell.
  • Staying with well-known NFL staffers leaving the league, USC has hired Rob Ryan as linebackers coach. Ryan had been onboard as a senior defensive assistant for the Raiders since 2022. Ryan, 62, enjoyed two tours with the Raiders, having been their DC from 2004-08. The four-time NFL DC has not coached at the college level since being Oklahoma State’s DC in the late 1990s.
  • Out of the NFL since a two-year Texans stay ended in January 2023, Pep Hamilton will return to coaching in a prominent role. Maryland has hired the veteran assistant as its OC, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. An NFL Network contributor, Hamilton had other options, per Rapoport, but will join his son Jackson with the Terrapins. A high school QB, Jackson Hamilton signed with Maryland in December. Coaching Justin Herbert and Andrew Luck in the pros, Pep Hamilton previously coached in college under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and Michigan.
  • Moving back to current NFL staffs, the Buccaneers have given title bumps to the two coaches they blocked from Jaguars interviews. Kevin Carberry added an assistant HC title to go with his O-line duties, while the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud adds assistant O-line coach Brian Picucci is now in position as O-line coach. The Bucs’ setup seemingly remains the same, but as they have long been reported not to be open to allowing Liam Coen to poach anyone under contract, his two initial targets will be taken care of.
  • The Giants are adding ex-NFL cornerback Jeff Burris to work as their CBs coach, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. The former NFL starter has been a college assistant in recent years, working at both Louisiana and Louisiana Tech since 2018. He previously spent three seasons as the Dolphins’ assistant DBs coach, being a Joe Philbin hire in 2013.

Baker Mayfield Contract Floated As Range For Sam Darnold Deal

The Vikings are facing a crucial offseason decision with Sam Darnold, who played like a top-five quarterback for most of the regular season before collapsing against the Lions and the Rams to end the year.

After proving himself on a one-year, $10MM deal in 2024, Darnold will be looking to cash in with a strong long-term contract, in Minnesota or elsewhere. The Vikings, meanwhile, are expecting 2024 No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy to recover from his torn meniscus in time for training camp.

Darnold’s flashes of high-level play mixed with late-season struggles under pressure create a complex situation for the Vikings. They clearly see the younger, cheaper McCarthy as their long-term quarterback, but his injury cost him a crucial year of development, while Darnold proved he can play well enough to make the postseason in his stead.

Minnesota has yet to decide on Darnold’s future, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but they are open to re-signing him after a successful debut season under Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings have just over $58MM in 2025 cap space, but Darnold isn’t their only concern. Several starters, including left tackle Cam Robinson, cornerback Byron Murphy, and running back Aaron Jones are set to hit free agency. However, none of those players are expected to merit the franchise or transition tag, which remains in play for Darnold.

Darnold’s value will be a subject of debate leading up to the new league year. Unsurprisingly, agents and team executives disagree on his worth. The former group believes Darnold shouldn’t accept anything less than the four-year, $160MM contract Daniel Jones received from the Giants, while the latter has compared his situation to Baker Mayfield and his three-year, $100MM deal with the Buccaneers.

If Darnold is pushing for a contract similar to Jones’, the Vikings may be best served by a year-to-year approach. The franchise tag, projected by OverTheCap to be $41.3MM, may be too expensive, but the $35.3MM transition tag might be an appropriate middle ground. Darnold could test his market, while the Vikings would retain the ability to match another team’s offer. The Raiders and the Giants have already been mentioned as potential fits for Darnold, per Fowler, given their need at quarterback and available cap space.

Giants Notes: Daboll, Schoen, Tisch, Barkley, Banks, Eluemunor, Nunez-Roches

When the Giants decided to retain Brian Daboll after a 3-14 season, multiple players expressed surprise, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes. This was not the only instance of a team retaining a coach after a 3-14 campaign this offseason, as the Browns and Titans joined Big Blue here, but New York’s operation had trended downward from 2022 — even though that initial Daboll-Joe Schoen season came as a surprise.

Schoen’s decision to let Saquon Barkley walk turned out to backfire, and the NFL may have a difficult time presenting a viable HBO offseason project after how much the Giants’ offering made the Schoen regime look. While a disastrous 2024 did not cost Schoen his job, players viewed his decision not to submit Barkley an offer doubled as an underestimation of the running back’s value on the field and in the locker room, per Raanan.

[RELATED: Internal Push For Daboll To Cede Play-Calling Role Builds]

Barkley, who had said numerous times he wanted to finish his career a Giant, rampaged for the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history and would likely have broken Eric Dickerson‘s single-season record had the Eagles allowed him to play in Week 18. Barkley already delivered a strong revenge performance earlier in the season, and he joined fellow Giants defector Xavier McKinney on the All-Pro first team.

John Mara did not ultimately hold Schoen prioritizing Daniel Jones over Barkley as a fireable offense, as the owner played a key role in that 2023 pecking order forming. Still, as a result of the 2024 offseason decisions and the terrible season that followed, Schoen and Daboll will be candidates for in-season firings if the 2025 slate does not start off better. Distrust emerged in Daboll’s program as well, multiple players told Raanan, though it does not sound as though the fourth-year HC lost the team. He will face a difficult task in completing a rebound, as the Giants do not have a starter-level quarterback rostered just yet.

The team did attempt to fix a cornerback issue in 2023, drafting Deonte Banks in Round 1. That has not worked out just yet, with the Maryland product being benched for his effort level during a midseason game. Several players indicated Banks’ benching against the Steelers was “a long time coming,” which points to the former top pick being a lingering issue — at least leading up to that point. Pro Football Focus ranked Banks outside the top 100 among CB regulars this past season, and neither second-round center John Michael Schmitz nor third-rounder Jalin Hyatt has impressed from Schoen’s 2023 class.

Still, Schoen will hold the keys going into a 2025 draft that may well send a first-round quarterback to New York. When Schoen and Daboll met with ownership regarding their futures last month, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the pair only met with Mara, who then spoke with co-owner Steve Tisch separately. Tisch is not in the team’s facility daily, with Duggan classifying the descriptor “silent partner” as applicable for the 20th-year owner, who has outside business interests. Tisch has not spoken in public about the Giants since 2020.

One of the lead drivers for this Giants season unraveling came when Andrew Thomas suffered his latest injury, a Lisfranc issue that required surgery. The Giants went through multiple plans to replace Thomas, ultimately moving right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to the left side and bringing Evan Neal off the bench to reprise his RT role. Eluemunor, who had begun offseason work at guard before sliding to RT during training camp, was not a fan of the LT shift, per Duggan, as he has wanted to showcase himself as a reliable right tackle.

A three-year RT starter in Las Vegas, Eluemunor preferred a two-year deal — as opposed to a three-year pact — in an effort to cash in once again in free agency. The nomadic blocker not becoming a steady starter until 2021 did not produce even a midlevel free agency deal until the Giants offered a two-year, $14MM accord. Eluemunor appears to be aiming at another RT season making him a viable option on the 2026 market.

The Giants have several issues to address during this year’s free agency, and they will likely turn to some in-house players to create cap space. One appears to be Rakeem Nunez-Roches, whom Duggan labels a cap casualty candidate. Nunez-Roches operated as a spot starter in 2023, playing behind since-departed D-linemen Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson. A 10-year veteran, Nunez-Roches started all 15 games he played in 2024. The Giants could save $3.6MM by moving on.

K Mason Crosby Retires

Mason Crosby did not play in 2024, and he will not attempt a comeback this offseason. The veteran kicker announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Crosby said during an appearance on his 105.7 The Fan Milwaukee radio show that he has elected to hang up his cleats. As a result, his career is over after 17 seasons in the NFL. Of course, he will be best remembered for his 16-year run with the Packers prior to a brief stint as a Giants fill-in in 2023.

A former sixth-round pick, Crosby handled kicking duties during his rookie campaign and was not sidelined at any point during his Green Bay Run. The Colorado product never missed a game during his time with the organization, a stretch which included winning Super Bowl XLV. Crosby posted a field goal accuracy rate above 80% nine times in his career, going a perfect 16-for-16 in that department in 2020.

On three occasions, the Packers’ offensive efficiency helped Crosby lead the league in extra points. For his career, he connected on 739 of 760 XP attempts in the regular season. In terms of playoff production, Crosby missed only four of his 35 field goal tries while posting a perfect mark on extra points. That consistency helped him enjoy a lengthy run with the Packers, one which was followed by a brief stretch on the Rams’ practice squad but not any games played for Los Angeles.

Overall, Crosby ends his career as the Packers’ all-time leader in points; he sits 11th in league history with 1,939. The 40-year-old amassed just over $40MM in career earnings, having signed multiple Green Bay extensions during his time with the team. Now, his attention will officially turn to his post-playing days.

QB Jameis Winston Open To Giants Deal

During the events of Super Bowl Media Day, Jameis Winston assumed the role of past-time correspondent. That produced a notable interaction with Eagles running back Saquon Barkley in which the veteran passer spoke about his future.

Winston is a pending free agent, and the Browns may look elsewhere for help under center on the open market or during the draft. The former No. 1 pick could still have a number of suitors, though, given the excess of demand at the position relative to supply (especially given this year’s group of QB prospects). One team in need of a new quarterback is the Giants.

Barkley mentioned his former team when speaking to Winston about the latter’s options on the open market this spring. New York moved on from Daniel Jones midway through the 2024 campaign, ending his time with the franchise not long after he inked a four-year, $160MM extension. Drew Lock is a pending free agent while Tommy DeVito‘s future is also uncertain. Using the No. 3 pick on a passer looms as an option, but bringing in a veteran like Winston could also be on the table. The 31-year-old would be on board with such a move.

“Would I really sign with the Giants? Absolutely!” Winston said when speaking with Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com“I want to keep playing and do what I do best.”

After a five-year run with the Buccaneers, Winston spent four seasons in New Orleans. That spell included 10 starts, and the Florida State product made it clear he still viewed himself as being capable of handling QB1 duties. In 2024, he found himself making seven starts in the wake of Deshaun Watson‘s Achilles tear, although Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe also saw time atop the depth chart at the end of the campaign.

Watson is set to miss some (potentially all) of the 2025 campaign in the wake of his second Achilles tear, and Thompson-Robinson’s time as a starter has not been sufficient to ensure competition will not be brought in. Winston could be retained on a another one-year deal, but outside suitors could be willing to bring him in as veteran insurance. It will be interesting to see if the Giants prove to be one of them. In any case, Winston is clearly intent on continuing his NFL career in 2025.

Jaguars Request GM Interviews With Four Executives

The Jaguars aren’t wasting any time finding a new general manager. Shortly after news broke of their interview request with Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg, we learned that the team requested interviews with four other executives. That grouping includes Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler), Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones), Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown (via Fowler), and Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham (via TheMMQB’s Albert Breer).

[RELATED: Jaguars Request GM Interview With Buccaneers Exec Mike Greenberg]

Alexander was a long-time Ravens staffer, with the executive spending two decades with the organization. He worked his way up to assistant director of pro personnel, a gig he held for his final nine years in Baltimore. When all was said and done, he ended up earning a pair of Super Bowl rings during his stint with the organization. He’s most recently bounced around the league, including jobs working under Joe Douglas with the Jets and Joe Hortiz with the Chargers. Alexander was a finalist for the Raiders GM opening earlier this offseason.

Brandon Brown was also a finalist for that job in Las Vegas, and he interview for jobs with the Chargers and Panthers last offseason. The executive made a name for himself in Philadelphia, where he worked his way up from assistant director of pro scouting to director of player personnel. He took his talents to New York in 2022, where he’s spent the past three seasons working as the assistant general manager under Joe Schoen.

Trey Brown cut his teeth in the scouting ranks, spending time in the Patriots and Eagles front offices. After a three-year term as Philly’s director of college scouting, Brown spent a few years leading his own front office with the Birmingham Iron (AAF) and St. Louis BattleHawks (XFL). When those leagues folded, the executive took a scouting job with the Bengals, and he was promoted to a senior personnel executive role in 2022.

Cunningham started his front office career with the Ravens before joining the Eagles as their director of college scouting in 2017. He climbed the ranks to director of player personnel before taking an assistant GM job with the Bears in 2022. He’s spent the past three seasons in Chicago, although he’s flirted with promotions over the past two years. He was a finalist for the Commanders job last year, and he’s also been connected to jobs with the Chargers and Titans.

Cunningham was one of the initial names to be connected to the Jaguars job, along with former Titans GM Jon Robinson and Greenberg. While Liam Coen has a major say in who will run Jacksonville’s front office, Jones notes that the new GM will be considered the “primary football executive.” This means the eventual front office leader won’t answer to VP of Football Operations Tony Boselli, who the team officially hired earlier today.

Giants Likely To Exercise OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux’s Fifth-Year Option?

Kayvon Thibodeaux joined the Giants amidst major expectations in 2022. The former No. 5 pick has certainly shown flashes of his potential since then, although further development would certainly be welcomed over the coming years.

As a former first-round pick, Thibodeaux is eligible for to have his fifth-year option picked up. A decision on that front will need to be made this spring as the Giants plan their edge rush outlook for the future. While labeling the call a “tricky one” for New York, Dan Duggan of The Athletic writes it can be expected Thibodeaux’s 2026 option will be picked up (subscription required).

The 24-year-old immediately took on a starting role as a rookie, notching four sacks and 18 pressures. Thibodeaux took a notable step forward in Year 2, increasing those figures to 11.5 and 35, respectively. The Giants added to their OLB contingent last offseason by trading for Brian Burns, an accomplished sack artist who added to his total in that department with 8.5 in 2024. Thibodeaux’s output regressed compared to last year, although being limited to 12 games obviously played a role in that.

Without a Pro Bowl to his name, the Oregon product would be in line for $16.06MM in 2026 in the event the Giants picked up his option (h/t Over the Cap). That figure would be fully guaranteed, but it would fall well short of where many of the league’s top edge rushers will find themselves in terms of annual compensation by that point (especially considering where the market is likely headed this offseason). Still, such a commitment would be much easier on the team’s part if Thibodeaux had managed to make a larger impact in the early stages of his career.

New York has had Azeez Ojulari in the fold for the past four years, but given the presence of Thibodeaux and Burns, he was considered a logical trade candidate at the deadline. The Giants elected to retain Ojulari, although he is still in position to depart on the open market in pursuit of a larger role on a new team. Provided that takes place, Thibodeaux will be in line to remain a key starter for years to come and exercising his option would no doubt become an easier decision for the Giants.

Teams have until May 1 to pick up or decline the options on their 2022 first-round picks. Plenty of time therefore remains for the Giants to contemplate Thibodeaux’s future with free agency and the draft approaching. Still, his situation will be one to monitor as the offseason unfolds.

Momentum Building For Mike Kafka To Reclaim Giants’ Play-Calling Duties

Going 3-14, the Giants are attempting to get by while making only minor staff changes. In addition to retaining their GM and HC, the Giants are keeping OC Mike Kafka and DC Shane Bowen. Only DBs coach Jerome Henderson has become a notable scapegoat thus far.

This is a rather interesting setup, especially as Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen will enter the season on some of the NFL’s hottest seats, but the former may be eyeing a significant change. A year after taking over as the Giants’ primary play-caller, Daboll saw John Mara mention the prospect of him giving up that role again. Weeks later, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz notes a “strong sentiment” exists in the building for Kafka to retake play-calling duties.

Despite Daboll coming over after being at the helm for Josh Allen‘s superstar ascent, he gave Kafka the play sheet to start his Giants tenure. The ex-Chiefs QBs coach impressed during his first season, which featured a surprisingly efficient Daniel Jones offering and produced a divisional-round appearance. The Giants were unable to sustain that form, as Jones regressed significantly — to the point the team cut bait before season’s end. Nevertheless, Kafka remains in the running for the Saints’ HC job. He has managed this after the Giants have gone 9-25 since their divisional-round game in Philadelphia.

New York ranked 30th in scoring in 2023 and 31st in ’24. The 2023 season featured what appeared to be a good excuse, with Jones missing much of it due to neck and knee injuries, but Daboll was unable to move the struggling QB back on track. Kafka has received at least one HC interview in each of the past three offseasons. He joins Anthony Weaver and rumored frontrunner Kellen Moore as coaches left in the Saints derby — after the exits of Joe Brady, Kliff Kingsbury and Mike McCarthy.

Daboll has far more experience calling plays, having done so at his four previous OC stops; Kafka would stand to benefit if he helps the Giants rebound while calling the shots. Daboll shifting to a CEO sideline role may be helpful, as he attempts to manage a third season. The Giants are also set to have a new starting quarterback — be it one of the top rookies, depending on the Titans and Browns’ decisions at Nos. 1 and 2 — or a veteran stopgap.

The Giants have been linked to having Cam Ward fans in the building, and they were doing plenty of homework on Shedeur Sanders during the 2024 season. At No. 3 overall, New York as a decent chance — as this draft’s top non-QB prospects are viewed as being much better than either of the two premier college arms coming out — of landing one of the two. It will be interesting to see if the Giants landing a rookie or a veteran as their preferred starter affects their play-calling plan. As of now, Kafka said he has not been told — should he not land the Saints’ HC job — who will hold this role in 2025.