As another losing season was nearing its end, the Giants glimpsed a promising future with quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley putting together impressive performances down the stretch.
However, any glimpses of promise down the line do not include Pat Shurmur, who was fired as Giants head coach after only two seasons at the helm in New York, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport first reported Monday morning.
The Giants later announced the firing of Shurmur and that general manager Dave Gettleman would remain in his position for the 2020 season.
“Steve and I have had many extensive discussions about the state of the Giants,” Giants team president John Mara said in a statement. “This morning, we made the very difficult decision that it would be in the best interest of the franchise that we relieve Pat of his duties. The last three seasons have been extremely disappointing for the organization and our fans. Pat has been a successful and highly-respected NFL coach for 21 years and he is not solely responsible for our record. But we came to the conclusion it is best to have a fresh start with the coaching staff.
“As owners, we take full responsibility for our recent poor record. It is our goal to consistently deliver high-quality football and we will do everything in our power to see that there is a rapid and substantial turnaround.”
When 2020 kicks off, the Giants, once a model of stability on the sidelines, will have their fifth head coach (including interim) in six seasons.
“The search will be extensive,” Mara said. “We understand this a very big decision for our franchise. We’ve had three losing years in a row and, quite frankly, we have lost some standing as an organization. When you have three losing years in a row as we have, you face a lot of criticism. A lot of it is deserved. It’s up to us now to turn that around and get back to where I think we should be.”
After a loss to the Eagles on Sunday, the Giants finished the season at an underwhelming 4-12. Shurmur’s Giants record sits at a humbling 9-23, with New York now sitting at three straight losing seasons and six sub-.500 showings over an unlucky seven-season span.
The two-year run with the Giants was identical to Shurmur’s two-season stumble as Browns head coach from 2011-12, when his Cleveland clubs produced a combined 9-23 mark.
In a horribly lackluster NFC East, the Giants were at one time in contention when the call was made to move on from longtime QB1 Eli Manning to first-round rookie Jones. Jones ignited excitement in the fanbase and media and a pair of victories evened out a 0-2 start. However, after balancing their record at 2-2 in Jones’ first two starts, the Giants fell and fell to the tune of a nine-game losing streak. A pair of victories over fellow strugglers the Dolphins and Redskins late in the season were not enough to camouflage the overall struggles of the Giants under Shurmur, even if the franchise seemed to be in a constant state of rebuild during his brief time there.
Perhaps marked most by trading Odell Beckham out of New York to Cleveland in a swap that really doesn’t seem to have worked all that well for either squad, Shurmur’s two years had flashes of what could become with the Giants, but simply had too many losses to justify the New York brass sticking with the 54-year-old for any longer.
And now the Giants look for a new coach to lead their fresh-faced squad.
“We understand how frustrated our fans are,” Giants chairman Steve Tisch said in the statement. “They expect more from us and we expect more from ourselves. Our focus now is on developing and improving our football team so that our fans can enjoy the winning team they expect and deserve.”