In coaching terms, New York Giants head coach, Brian Daboll, is a dead man walking if he doesn’t return the franchise to prominence next season. Giants president, John Mara, issued the ultimatum on Monday after the team announced Mr. Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will return next season despite a 3-14 record this year.

“It better not take too long because I’ve just about run out of patience,” Mr. Mara told the press on Monday after releasing a statement confirming Mr. Daboll and Mr. Schoen will be back for a fourth season. Later he added: “I’m going to have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am right now.”

Mr. Daboll survived Black Monday, the day after the NFL regular season concludes and coaches are fired for poor results. There could be up to eight vacancies this offseason. The New Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears already had openings after firing Robert Saleh, Dennis Allen, and Matt Eberflus, respectively, during the regular season. New England got a jump on Black Monday by firing Jerod Mayo on Sunday. The Patriots were 4-13 in his one season after succeeding Bill Belichick.

Doug Pederson received the only pink slip among head coaches on Monday after the Jacksonville Jaguars were 4-13. Mr. Pederson, who won Super Bowl LII as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, was 22-29 at Jacksonville, including a playoff appearance in 2022.

The Las Vegas Raiders (4-13), the Cleveland Browns (3-14), the Tennessee Titans (3-14), and the Dallas Cowboys (7-10) are also contemplating changes at head coach. Symbolic of the Dallas Cowboys’ struggles under Mike McCarthy came in their final game when Brandon Aubrey shanked a second-quarter kick-off so far out of bounds that the football nailed Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Michelle Siemienowski in the head. Ms. Siemienowski posted “I’m alright everyone.”

The Giants and Jets teamed for one of the worst seasons in New York football history. The Giants lost 20-13 at Philadelphia on Sunday to be 3-14 in their 100th season as a franchise.

The decision not to resign running back Saquon Barkley was magnified by a franchise-record ten-game losing streak and the November release of quarterback Daniel Jones.

After three seasons, the Schoen-Daboll regime has compiled an 18-32-1 record in the regular season and 1-1 in a 2022 playoff appearance.  The Giants have the No.3 overall pick in the 2025 draft and look to land a quarterback to mesh with talented youngsters like rookies Malik Nabors, who set a franchise record for catches in a single season with 109 for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, and Tyrone Tracy, who rushed for 839 yards and five scores.

The Giants held the No.1 pick in the draft until they defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 45-33, in Week 17, dispelling any thought they were intentionally trying to tank the season, a notion that infuriated the Giants co-owner. “If I had thought that we were tanking either one of those games, I would’ve fired everybody,” Mr. Mara said. “We are never going to do that in this organization as long as I’m standing on this side of the grass.”

The Tennessee Titans (3-14) have the first overall choice with the Cleveland Browns (3-14) going second, the Giants are third and the Patriots fourth, followed by Jacksonville, the Raiders, and the Jets.

It’s a precarious situation for the Giants, who are desperate to land one of the top two quarterbacks in Cam Ward of Miami or Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. The Browns hold the key. The Titans will likely take one of the quarterbacks first overall. The Browns, meanwhile, invested heavily in thus far disappointing quarterback Deshaun Watson. They could be looking for another signal-caller or chose Colorado’s two-way Heisman winner Travis Hunter.

With perhaps a rookie quarterback, the Giants face one of the toughest schedules in the NFL in 2025 non-division games against the Packers, Vikings, Chiefs, Chargers, Lions, Broncos, and 49ers. 

“We were not good enough,” Mr. Schoen said when he met with the press Monday. “It starts with me and I understand it. We will upgrade the roster the best we can. I’ve got to do a better job.”

The Jets face plenty of big decisions, too. In addition to looking for a head coach, the Jets need a general manager to replace Joe Douglas. Interviews for both positions are underway. The team has met with former NFL head coaches Ron Rivera and Mike Vrabel. The new regime will decide whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be part of its future.

Teams that made the playoffs don’t need to worry about the draft or a new head coach.  The wild-card round starts Saturday with the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) visiting the Houston Texans (10-7) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) traveling to the Baltimore Ravens (12-5). Sunday’s games feature the Denver Broncos (10-7) at the Buffalo Bills (13-4), the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) hosting the Green Bay Packers (11-6), and the Washington Commanders (12-5) at the Tampa Bay Bucs (10-7).  The Los Angeles Rams (10-7) entertain the Minnesota Vikings (14-3) on Monday night