The New York Giants have yet to figure out if they made the right choice back in 2022 by hiring first-time general manager Joe Schoen. Even with the blurred outcome, Giants co-owner John Mara felt good enough about him to bring him back next year after a 3-14 season.
The franchise has taken a massive step back since Schoen’s arrival. While the G-Men haven’t necessarily been world-beaters since Eli Manning retired, the on-field product has seen a drastic decline under Schoen’s watch.
Schoen brought his buddy Brian Daboll along with him from Buffalo to be Big Blue’s head coach. Daboll and Schoen found success with the Bills, highlighted by Daboll’s impressive work with superstar quarterback Josh Allen. The two came into the Big Apple with hopes they’d replicate the success they found in upstate New York—the Giants QB at the time, Daniel Jones, had similar physical traits to Allen, and it was on the shoulders of the pair to get the most out of him and restore respectability to Big Blue.
Year one was a resounding success—the Giants made the playoffs, Daboll won Coach of the Year, and the future looked bright. Oh, those precious memories.
Fast-forward two years, the Giants have gone 9-25, gave Jones a $160 million contract extension only to cut him a season and a half later, pushed out franchise icons Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney, lost the locker room, and have become the NFL’s biggest punchline, being mocked on TV, through inside reports, and through the literal sky with airplanes.
Schoen fooled Mara in the worst way back in 2022. But it’s not like the Giants had other options for their GM search, right? Right? Please tell me it was Schoen or bust.
Commanders GM Adam Peters named Executive of the Year by Pro Football Talk—Giants GM Joe Schoen? Not even close
Actually, they did have other candidates if memory serves. Wait a minute—wasn’t Adam Peters, the San Francisco 49ers assistant GM at the time, a potential candidate? Oh, that’s right. He not only interviewed but was one of three finalists for the Giants’ GM position. Imagine how different things could have been if they had chosen Peters instead of Schoen.
We have completed a second GM interview with 49ers Assistant General Manager Adam Peters
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 20, 2022
Details: https://t.co/vGKwanFajt pic.twitter.com/SOrBJqlIP9
Peters, now with the Washington Commanders, is fresh off being named NFL Executive of the Year by Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Schoen is dodging reports that he makes decisions based on Twitter trends and has drawn the ire of Giants legends like Michael Strahan. The contrast couldn’t be starker.
In just one season, Peters has completely transformed the once-dysfunctional Commanders into a playoff contender. He overhauled the roster, hired Dan Quinn as head coach, and drafted Jayden Daniels, who’s already proving to be a franchise quarterback. Under his leadership, Washington won 12 games this season—their best since 1991—and is back in the playoffs.
The Giants, meanwhile, are still searching for a glimmer of hope. It’s not just about the record; it’s about the lack of direction. While Peters is two steps ahead, Schoen feels like he’s two steps behind—scrambling to fix his own missteps instead of proactively building a winner.
Imagine if Peters had been given the keys to the Giants in 2022. A strategic mind like his might’ve avoided the Daniel Jones debacle, retained Barkley and McKinney, and rebuilt the locker room culture instead of letting it implode. Instead, Peters has turned division-rival Washington into a model franchise while the same surely cannot be said about the Giants.
The Giants’ 2022 decision will haunt them for years to come. But hey, at least Mara feels good about it, right?