The New York Giants are fresh off another fourth-quarter collapse, this time to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. One day later, the Giants decided they had seen enough from head coach Brian Daboll, officially relieving him of his duties after four seasons on the job. Daboll ends his tenure with a 20-40-1 record. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take over as the interim head coach.
Giants fans wanted a pound of flesh after the 24-20 loss to the Bears, and they got it in the form of Daboll's firing. Next on the wish list would be the team moving on from general manager Joe Schoen. But the team's official statement revealed that it still has plans with Schoen leading the charge.
In their written statement, team owner John Mara said that Schoen will remain as general manager and lead the team's head coaching search:
"We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development," said Mara, h/t the team's official website. "Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect."
Giants announce Joe Schoen will remain as GM, confirming fans' worst fears
Mara talks about the "young nucleus of talent" as a reason for retaining Schoen as the general manager. Schoen's drafting has come under fire.
After last season, Mara mentioned the 2024 draft class as a bright spot and a reason for retaining Schoen after the team went 3-14. Malik Nabers is a superstar in the passing game. But safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Dru Phillips have been liabilities in the defensive backfield, while tight end Theo Johnson has drop issues despite being praised by the coaching staff.
Then, there's the 2023 draft class. Cornerback Deonte Banks might go down as one of the worst Giants' first-round picks since Ereck Flowers, and has been constantly targeted by opposing quarterbacks due to his inability to stop the pass. Center John Michael Schmitz didn't pan out the way that many draft experts had expected. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is a complete non-factor on the team, to the point of getting limited-to-no snaps.
There are also the free agency blunders that Schoen made. Sure, bring up Saquon Barkley, but it didn't make sense for the team to commit money to a running back with a then-ineffective offensive line. They let safety Xavier McKinney leave in free agency, only to see him become a superstar on the Green Bay Packers. Finally, there's Daniel Jones, whom Schoen and Daboll blamed for their lack of success in 2024. He's now on the Indianapolis Colts and has them at 8-2 on the season.
Schoen did hit on Abdul Carter, which was a no-brainer pick as he was the top consensus prospect in the entire 2025 class, and Dart, whom Daboll pounded on the table for. So he will get credit for hitting on both.
But Schoen should get credit for the team's downfall since their miraculous 2022 season, when they made the playoffs and won their first-round game against the Minnesota Vikings. Now, he has to find the right head coach. On one hand, he does have Dart and Carter as bright spots that should entice some of the top candidates. But, there is always the chance that candidates could be turned off by Schoen's drafting and free agent decisions.
Could the Giants be forced to do what the Jacksonville Jaguars did with Trent Baalke after he was a deterrent in the head coaching search?
Schoen should feel the heat, even though he has the vote of confidence. He needs to make sure he hits in free agency and the draft.