While it felt inevitable, the firing of head coach Brian Daboll has hit some hard, including former New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh.
He took to X, formerly Twitter, to respond to the news of Daboll's firing. Pugh, who played for Daboll's Giants in 2023, has no doubt the coach will land on his feet.
“I’ll say this. Daboll is one of the best football minds I’ve ever been around,” Pugh praised. “Joe Brady in Buffalo will most likely get a HC job this year and Daboll will be the OC in Buffalo next year. Daboll will then get another HC job in 3 years.
“Wish it worked in NY but the business of football is brutal, if you don’t win it doesn’t matter how good you are with X’s and O’s,” he continued.
It sounds like Pugh is a big believer in Daboll. Pugh seemingly thinks that Daboll will be back in Buffalo with the Bills, and in a few years, he'll be back on his feet as a head coach.
Pugh started his career with the Giants after being drafted in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played there until 2017 before signing with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency before the 2018 season.
However, in 2023, Pugh returned to the Giants. He would then retire in July 2025 as a member of the Giants. He seemingly still roots for the team, as evident in his statement about Daboll's firing.
The Giants fired Brian Daboll after their Week 10 loss
The Giants announced that they were firing Daboll on Monday, Nov. 10. This came after their latest loss to the Chicago Bears, during which they blew another double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
Their latest blown lead was the straw that broke the camel's back. While Daboll led the Giants to the postseason in his first year as their head coach in 2022, they have missed the postseason in every season since.
Things were seemingly heading in the right direction after the Giants started Jaxson Dart in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. They beat the Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles in back-to-back weeks before losing four straight games.
Now, Daboll's next steps remain unclear. He previously gained notoriety for being the Bills' offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021. Daboll was also the Alabama Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017.
