Firing Brian Daboll midway through the season won’t give the New York Giants much of a head start on the search for a replacement. The only real benefit is that they can talk with any unemployed candidates now rather than in the crush of interviews after the season ends. But they’re going to have interest in plenty of candidates employed by other teams, so they’ll have to wait until the regular season ends to start that process.

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It’s impossible to narrow down a list of candidates this early in the process, but here’s a wide net of potential targets arranged in separate categories that present different pros and cons:

Giants ties

Giants ownership loves familiarity, so added weight has to be given to candidates with ties to the franchise.

• Mike Kafka, Giants offensive coordinator: Kafka, who will get a seven-game audition as the interim head coach, has interviewed for eight head-coaching vacancies over the past three offseasons despite the Giants’ poor results, so there’s clearly a belief around the league that he has potential. This trial allows the Giants the opportunity to see if their coaching answer has been under their noses for four years. However, it will be an uphill climb for Kafka to show enough under these circumstances to earn the job full-time. Don’t sleep on Kafka potentially staying on as offensive coordinator, especially if a defensive-minded head coach is hired.

• Bill Belichick, North Carolina head coach: Belichick, who still speaks fondly about his stint as a Giants’ assistant from 1979-90 and for years has been a white whale for the organizati