Why the Giants Should Keep GM Joe Schoen, Why They Shouldn't, and a Prediction

How certain is New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen's return? We look at both sides and make a prediction.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks during a press conference during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Editor’s Note: Normally, we do a “Why the Giants Will Win, Why They Won’t, and a Prediction” for the upcoming game. Given that we believe the Giants will not win another game this season—and with all apologies, we do not see any path for them to beat the Baltimore Ravens, their opponent this weekend—we are instead adapting this series to bigger-picture items for the team.

This week we look at what the Giants should do regarding general manager Joe Schoen.

Despite growing calls by the frustrated New York Giants fan base to replace general manager Joe Schoen, all indications appear that team ownership will stay the course and allow Schoen to continue building up a team, according to his and head coach Brian Daboll’s vision.

But should Schoen be allowed to continue, considering the last two seasons in which the Giants have won just eight games after starting out Schoen’s regime with nine wins in 2022? 

There are arguments for and against retaining him, which we’ll get into in just a moment, but it’s worth noting that despite what the team has done this season—and it’s been an embarrassing and dreadful season—Schoen will be retained to see this building project through.

Why the Giants Should Keep Joe Schoen

The easiest and most logical argument for retaining Schoen is that every time the team cleans the house and sweeps out a regime, it starts from scratch. New systems and personnel are all put into place, which, in very few exceptions, means that those looking for instant gratification are just not going to get it right away.

Take, for instance, the Detroit Lions. In the first year of the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell era, that team went 3-13-1. In the second year, they improved to 9-8.  By Year 3, they were a playoff team, falling one play short of the Super Bowl. And this year, they are the best team in pro football, boasting a 12-1 record.

This should have been the path the Giants took, except they had that 9-7-1 season that fooled everyone, including Schoen, into thinking the roster was much better than it was. And to that point, that 9-7-1 season was probably the worst thing that could have happened to the Giants in their rebuild.

But back to our point about sweeping out the general manager, that’s not good news for a team that has several core foundation pieces, such as left tackle Andrew Thomas and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II, among others, who are in the prime of their respective careers. 

Rather than tearing down the foundation that has already been laid, it makes far more sense to continue building around it, strengthening the areas of weakness.

One such area has been quarterback. Schoen, remember, not only inherited Daniel Jones from the previous regime but when the Giants enjoyed a 9-7-1 season in 2022, he was backed into a corner in which, because he was drafted so low in the order that next year, the lesser of the evils was to pay Jones.

But as we saw with that contract, Schoen left himself with an out after two years. As we saw with Hard Knocks, he also had every intention of bringing in a new quarterback to replace Jones; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been looking to trade away assets if he was so convinced Jones was the guy.

The other thing to consider is Schoen inherited a messy salary cap situation when he first took over the reins. It took him two seasons to clean that mess up, but after working at it, the Giants are now looking at a very healthy cap situation for 2025.

And yes, after two “meh” drafts that have yet to produce any Pro Bowlers or All-Pros—and there could be a case made for the first draft being one that Schoen had to put together on the fly as the coaching and scouting staff were being assembled—the third time appears to have been a charm.

In sum, continuity is the best reason to retain Schoen. No, the results haven’t been what was expected. Still, if one looks at his regime as this being Year 2 of the rebuild rather than Year 3, given the fool’s gold the team had in 2022, and if one considers the quarterback issue and the injury situation (the latter of which they have to figure out), there appears to be enough reason to give Schoen another year to continue building up this franchise.

Why They Shouldn't Retain Schoen

The biggest argument against retaining Schoen is that the team has gone backwards. Unlike the Lions' example above, the Giants are on pace to finish with fewer wins this year than last season, despite the injuries continuing to pile up as they have in both seasons.

But again, it’s fair to ask how much of that resulted from the quarterback situation being the mess it became. This isn’t to blame the season on one man (Daniel Jones), and it does bear mentioning that Schoen is the one who put this quarterback room together. But again, knowing that he sought to move on from Jones during this past draft cycle should tell you everything you need to know about that position.

The biggest issue with Schoen, though, has been his valuation of players. Who could forget his analytical study determining that running backs usually decline once they hit age 27? 

What about letting running back Saquon Barkley go out and get an offer and then expecting him to come back and allow them to match it because, as he said on Hard Knocks, he was reluctant to give Barkley an offer that might “piss him off”? Since when is it a good idea to let the market dictate what you pay your own players?

And who can forget how he had a chance to get a draft pick for outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari but wanted more than what was apparently offered and now faces the potential of losing Ojulari in free agency with nothing in return?

Want one more reason that can be used against retaining Schoen? How about his doubling down on Evan Neal as a right tackle despite continued inconsistencies with his technique and balance, or the plan at swing tackle in which, thanks to the injury to Thomas, the Giants have once again had to go to Joshua Ezeudu to step in a left tackle when that’s not anywhere close to being his best position?

That said, these are all correctable mistakes that can be fixed through continued roster building if Schoen is retained. But the fact that they were made in the first place hasn’t helped the team in its quest to improve.

Prediction

Despite the way the season has gone, it would be a shocking development if the Giants terminated Schoen, especially after Dave Gettleman, who was arguably worse as a general manager (thanks in part to his health having compromised his ability to hit the road to scout), got four seasons before he “retired.” 

Next. Daboll Retention Argument. Why the Giants Will Retain Head Coach Brian Daboll, Why They Won’t, and a Prediction. dark

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