The New York Giants’ 2024 season has been a complete disaster. At 2-12, they’ve become the NFL’s punchline, cycling through quarterbacks and showing no signs of progress despite back-to-back losing seasons.
Fans have flown banners over MetLife Stadium demanding accountability, and the once-proud franchise feels further away from contention than ever.
Now, a report from veteran sports columnist Ian O’Connor has added another layer of frustration. According to O’Connor, the Giants’ decision to hire Joe Schoen as general manager in 2022 didn’t just shape the current dysfunction—it may have cost them Jim Harbaugh as head coach.
The Giants loved Adam Peters as a GM candidate but loved Joe Schoen just a bit more. They thought John Harbaugh's guy in Baltimore, Joe Hortiz, was a bit nervous in his interview, but he was going to hire Jim Harbaugh as Giants head coach.
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) December 17, 2024
What could have been? https://t.co/iIzAhGAKYF
O’Connor revealed that one of the Giants’ GM finalists, Joe Hortiz, intended to hire Harbaugh if he got the job.
Hortiz didn’t get the nod and went on to become GM of the Los Angeles Chargers, where he followed through on his plan to bring in Harbaugh. The result? Los Angeles is 8-6 and firmly in the playoff race. Meanwhile, the Giants are tied for the NFL’s worst record, and fans are left wondering what could’ve been.
NY Giants chose Joe Schoen, missed out on Jim Harbaugh
Let’s not sugarcoat this: if this report is accurate, passing on Jim Harbaugh was a colossal mistake. Harbaugh is a proven winner who turned the San Fransisco 49ers into perennial contenders, leading them to three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl in four seasons.
Instead, the Giants rolled the dice on Schoen, a first-time GM, and his pick for head coach, Brian Daboll. While the pair delivered a surprising playoff run in 2022, things have unraveled spectacularly since. The Giants are 8-23 over the last two seasons, with a roster that looks lost and no franchise quarterback to build around.
Harbaugh, on the other hand, has brought stability and energy to the Chargers in less than one full season. He’s gotten the best out of quarterback Justin Herbert and transformed a team that was underachieving into a playoff contender. Imagine what he could’ve done with the Giants’ roster—or, better yet, what a roster built by Hortiz and Harbaugh might have looked like.
Schoen’s tenure has been marked by questionable decisions and a lack of foresight.
Let’s not forget, this is the GM who gave Daniel Jones a $160 million extension after one solid season. That move hamstrung the team financially and forced them to let stars like Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney walk in free agency.
Even worse, Schoen passed on the chance to draft a top quarterback this year, despite having options like Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, and J.J. McCarthy available at No. 6 overall. Instead, the Giants took rookie wideout Malik Nabers, who’s been excellent but can’t carry the team alone. Without a long-term plan at quarterback, the franchise is once again stuck in limbo.
If the Giants had hired Hortiz and Harbaugh, things could look very different right now. Harbaugh’s winning track record and ability to develop quarterbacks might have finally brought stability to a team that desperately needs it.
It’s not just hindsight that makes this frustrating. Harbaugh’s resume speaks for itself, and the fact that the Giants passed on a GM willing to hire him is an indictment of their decision-making process. Schoen and Daboll may have been the hot names in 2022, but bold hires don’t mean a thing without results.
As the Chargers prepare for a potential playoff run, Giants fans can only wonder what might have been. Hiring Schoen didn’t just cost the Giants Harbaugh—it may have cost them the winning future they’ve been chasing for over a decade.