Giants’ GM Joe Schoen Given One More Chance Despite Miserable Record

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by Matthew MendivesJanuary 8, 2026, 1:04 am >

After the firings of head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen during the season, New York Giants fans wondered if there would be more changes, but one thing will remain the same: the general manager.

The Giants announced on social media on January 5 that General Manager Joe Schoen will stay with the team and help lead the search for the new head coach. Despite this, owners John Mara and Steve Tisch emphasized that they were disappointed with the results on the field.

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The Giants missed the playoffs for a third straight season with a record of 4-13. What truly makes the 2025 season sting is the fact that they blew five fourth-quarter leads. The defense was particularly disappointing, being ranked 26th according to Pro Football Reference. This was despite being led by Pro Bowler Brian Burns.

Schoen’s tenure with the Giants started with good feelings, with a playoff appearance in his first season. Although this roster was largely built by the last GM, Dave Gettleman, he made some moves that clearly pushed the Giants in the right direction.

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First, he helped fix their awful cap situation by letting James Bradberry, Jabrill Peppers and Evan Engram walk. He found some great players in the draft like Kayvon Thibodeaux, Wan’Dale Robinson, Daniel Bellinger and Dane Belton. Finally, he bought low on several veteran free agents who made strong contributions like Tyrod Taylor, Mark Glowinowski, Justin Feliciano and Bobby McCain.

The Giants overestimated the long-term viability of the 2022 roster. In the 2023 offseason, they gave Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million deal that they eventually released him from. The draft was full of low-risk, low-reward players like Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz and Jalin Hyatt. They emphasized NFL readiness over long-term building, leading to these picks feeling weak in hindsight.

In 2024, the Giants were forced to let Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney walk. Although this aligned with Schoen’s ideology of positional value, it also cost the Giants valuable players. 2024 was effectively a directionless season. The remnants of the 2022 roster were aging out.

The 2024 first-round pick, Malik Nabers, proved to be a hit, but he didn’t fix the Giants’ core issues. Most of the other 2024 picks haven’t panned out yet.

After releasing Jones in the 2024 season, the Giants wanted to change their quarterback room. They signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. However, they also traded up to draft Jaxson Dart. Dart has become a good player so far, but not due to anything the Giants have done.

Wilson’s contract was not cheap, about $10.5 million. This money could’ve been used to help Dart. Winston was already a great veteran leader for Dart; there’s no need for two veteran backups.

Darius Slayton’s contract extension, three years and $36 million, also handcuffed the Giants. Slayton had just 538 yards this season and still has a bad drop problem. Despite ideological differences, Schoen has put himself in the same hole Gettleman did.