Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was a huge addition when coach Robert Saleh assembled his first staff in Nashville.
But it wouldn’t have been possible if Daboll hadn’t been fired as head coach by the New York Giants after a 2-8 start in 2025 during his fourth season with the team.
Both narratives will come to a head when the Titans (0-2) travel to play the Giants (1-1) on Sept. 27 (noon CT, CBS), a little less than a year after New York parted ways with Daboll.
He has tamped down talk that he’s out for revenge, but the matchup is intriguing. There’s typically no love lost between coaches and teams after a midseason house-cleaning.
said about facing former Titans coach Brian Callahan, who's now with Giants
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart will not play against the Titans due to a left knee injury he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 21. He will have surgery and sit out the rest of the regular season.
Ironically, Daboll drew criticism for putting Dart in running situations last year that might have compromised his health during his rookie season.
Here’s what we know about why Daboll was fired, and more about the 26-year coaching veteran.
When did the Giants fire Brian Daboll?
Daboll was fired on Nov. 10, 2025, after a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.
The Giants surrendered a 10-point lead in the final four minutes. It was the team’s fourth blown double-digit lead and the second time it had let a 10-point lead slip away with less than four minutes remaining.
Why did the Giants fire Brian Daboll?
Like most firings, it came down to mounting losses.
Daboll was named the Associated Press 2022 NFL Coach of the Year after the Giants made the playoffs and finished 9-7-1. But his overall record was 20-40-1 at the time of his dismissal.
There were other points of friction.
Daboll faced criticism for his play-calling — specifically the designed runs for Dart, who sustained one concussion as a rookie and was evaluated for concussions five times.
During one of Dart’s evaluations in 2025, Daboll entered the team’s medical tent and was later fined $100,000 because he violated league policy. The NFL and NFLPA said Daboll and running back Cameron Skattebo, who also entered the tent, created “the perception that they were interfering with Dart’s exam."
No love lost between Brian Daboll, Wink Martindale
Daboll also was reportedly “cussed out” by former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in 2024 during a team meeting, according to ESPN, after the Giants fired outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins.
The Giants and Martindale parted ways after the season.
Martindale appeared to take a jab at Daboll on the “Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard” podcast on Sept. 16 after Dart had a spectacular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys under a new coaching staff. Conversely, Titans quarterback Cam Ward struggled against the New York Jets his first time out with Daboll.
"I'm not ready to crown him yet, as far as Jaxson Dart being 'the' guy. Not ready to crown him yet. I think he's gotta go through some more games and get some more body of work," Martindale said. "But I will tell you this: He looked like a completely different quarterback. In the same instance, so did Cam Ward when you turned on the Titans-Jets game."
Is Brian Daboll a good offensive coordinator?
That’s what everyone’s watching right now, but from a coaching standpoint, Daboll’s credentials are there.
He coached the Giants from 2022 to 2025 and previously worked as offensive coordinator for theBuffalo Bills (2018-21), Kansas City Chiefs (2012), Miami Dolphins (2011) and Cleveland Browns (2009-10). Daboll won five Super Bowls as an assistant coach in New England and won one college national championship as the offensive coordinator at Alabama (2017).
Saleh has said Daboll was his top target as offensive coordinator when assembling his staff, higher on the list than Saleh’s longtime colleague and former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
Daboll was also considered for offensive coordinator positions with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers, as well as head coaching jobs in Las Vegas and Buffalo, before accepting the Titans’ offer.
Daboll inherited a Tennessee offense that hasn’t finished better than 26th in the NFL since 2021.
Tyler Palmateer covers the Tennessee Titans for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why did New York Giants fire Brian Daboll? What to know about Titans OC
