Giants star wide receiver delivers strong message to his teammates following frustrating Week 1 loss to the Commanders
New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers broke his silence about his blowup with head coach Brian Daboll.
We’re less than two weeks into the 2025 NFL season, and the New York Giants have already been dealing with on-field drama.
Star wide receiver Malik Nabers was caught on camera on the sideline during their Week 1 loss to the Washington Commanders, jawing with head coach Brian Daboll. Speculation has swirled over what caused his reaction. Today, when speaking to the media, Nabers addressed it with an emphasis on needing to bring more for his teammates.
“Just 12 targets and five catches, just not how I want to end the day off,” Nabers told the media, “I know everybody was more focused on just me overall being mad I wasn’t getting the ball, but that wasn’t at all what I was concerned about. I had 12 targets, so why would I argue about getting the ball if I had 12 targets?”
Malik Nabers wants more from himself
The broadcast’s portrayal of the interaction between Daboll and Nabers began to feed into the narrative that there’s debilitating dysfunction. Daboll was asked about the issue on Sunday after the loss, and he quickly brushed it off as competitiveness.
“We are two, I would say, highly competitive people. We want to get him the ball. That’s all it is, Daboll told reporters, “It’s two competitive people understanding that where we are at right now, or offensively, is not where we want to be.”
Nabers shared a similar sentiment, believing it was misconstrued. Hearing him retell the drama should supply relief to Giants fans that this wasn’t as serious an issue as it looked. Oftentimes, when players are caught in these situations with coaches, they won’t be transparent when talking to the media during the week. This was the most open Nabers has been, as he also clarified why he appeared to be sulking on the sideline later in the game.
“I had a talk with [Daboll] after the game, just overall sideline demeanor, myself included,” said Nabers, “I can see how it got blown out of proportion … I was trying to think about, who can we get to? How can we get some more plays to be made on this team? How can we score points? So, it was my face of just trying to think, and I felt like the camera was just on me all the time. But I have to be more conscious of that.”
Nabers also stated that he was disappointed with his overall play. He emphasized today that he needs to do more if this team wants to win.
“I felt like I left some plays out there, I felt like there were plays to be made that I didn’t make, that I’m more capable of making.”
The Giants’ offense was an absolute mess in week 1 against the Commanders, managing only six points, with no touchdowns. For the Giants to rebound, they’ll need everything out of their most talented players, especially Nabers.
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