Giants GM Joe Schoen Says Cupboard’s Not Bare on Offense

Except, of course, at the most important position where there is currently a hole the size of the Grand Canyon.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen talks to the media before the start of training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen talks to the media before the start of training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The New York Giants are coming off a 3-14 season, their worst in their 100-year history and one that nearly cost general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll their respective jobs.

But with both brought back by a growingly impatient ownership group, the pressure will be on Schoen and Daboll to turn around the franchise quickly. High on their must-do list is finding a new quarterback to help turn around what Schoen seems to believe is a structurally sound offense.

“Four of our five starting offensive linemen are returning. Malik Nabers, you have a number one receiver on the roster young tied in that was really promising this year, and [tight end] Theo Johnson and [running back] Tyrone Tracy, Jr.,” Schoen told Bill Polian during a SiriusXM NFL interview on Friday from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.  

“So the cupboard's not bare offensively,” Schoen added. “Whoever [the quarterback] is, whether it's free through free agency or draft, whoever you drop in there, the cupboard's not bare.”

The problem for Schoen and the Giants, who passed on taking a flier on a quarterback in last year’s talent-rich class, is that franchise quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. 

This year, the consensus among draft analysts is that the quarterback class isn’t nearly as deep as last year’s group and that the top two prospects in the 2025 class, Colorado’s Shedur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, probably wouldn’t be in the top three at their position if they had been in last year’s draft class.

Schoen didn’t say who specifically the franchise was considering for the most glaring issue on the roster. Still, he did strongly hint that the Giants will look to sign a veteran bridge quarterback who could carry the team until a drafted rookie, whether from this year’s class or next year’s, is ready to take the offense’s reins while also helping the rookie adjust to life in the NFL.

“I think that's what helped {Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh (Allen) in his first year,” said Schoen, who was the Bills's assistant general manager when they drafted Allen.

“We brought in Derek Anderson about mid-year, and he was a veteran that had played a long time. And, you know, I think he really helped Josh with his process and how to prep, be a pro, study tape, and all that stuff. 

“So I think it's important, regardless of the position, for these young guys to have somebody to look up to, you know, that's already a pro and help teach them how to be a pro and how things should be done. 

“And you know, how those guys have played in the league a long time and how to approach, you know, the weekly, you know, grind that that is the NFL.”


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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.