The New York Giants are no strangers to turmoil, but this season’s collapse feels different. It’s not just the mounting losses or the inconsistent play.
The real disaster is happening off the field, where the locker room has splintered under the weight of Joe Schoen’s mismanagement. When a general manager loses the trust of his players, it’s already over. For the Giants, the solution is clear: Schoen needs to go. Immediately.
The writing has been on the wall for weeks, but the tension boiled over with the benching of quarterback Daniel Jones. Defensive captain Dexter Lawrence summed it up perfectly, calling the decision “tough” and admitting the players were confused. This isn’t just about one unpopular move, though. It’s about a pattern of decisions that have left the roster feeling undervalued, unsupported, and outright disrespected.
Take the release of cornerback Nick McCloud. Players reportedly took issue not only with the move itself but with how Schoen handled it. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Schoen’s popularity in the locker room was already shaky, and this latest blunder only deepened the divide.
New York Giants GM Joe Schoen is officially in boiling water
“The GM is not that popular in the locker room at all,” Raanan said, adding that player frustrations have been simmering since last season.
“Joe Schoen is not popular in the Giants locker room at all,” according to Jordan Raanan.
— FantasyFootballAnonymous (@fantasyanony) November 20, 2024
Do you understand how disastrous you have to be as a GM to make an entire locker room turn against you? This is almost unheard of in professional sports. A GM’s job is to build trust and… pic.twitter.com/776QmtrJCA
The decision to elevate Tommy DeVito over Jones and Drew Lock has only fanned the flames. For a front office already struggling to command respect, banking on an undrafted rookie to salvage the season and morale feels like a desperate Hail Mary.
The social media chatter is just as damning. Players liking cryptic posts or dropping comments like Darius Slayton’s infamous “free man” remark may seem small, but in the context of a fractured locker room, they carry weight. These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re signs of a culture that’s unraveling under Schoen’s leadership.
Players thrive in an environment built on trust and respect. Right now, the Giants have neither. Schoen’s approach to personnel decisions has alienated key leaders, created unnecessary distractions, and undermined any sense of cohesion.
The Giants can’t afford to keep Schoen around any longer. A general manager is supposed to build bridges between the front office, coaching staff, and players, not burn them down. With the locker room already fractured, waiting until the offseason to make a change risks further damage to the team’s foundation.
Ownership needs to act now. The Giants are at a crossroads, and clinging to a GM who’s lost the trust of his team will only deepen the hole they’re in. Joe Schoen’s time is up. The longer the Giants delay, the harder it’ll be to climb out of the mess he’s created.