The two words Joe Schoen used to describe how he felt about remaining on the job as the general manager of the Giants were “honored” and “humbled” that co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch “allowed me to see this process through.’’
Schoen could have added “fortunate” and “relieved” that Mara and Tisch showed great patience with him, despite terrible results the past two seasons.
Schoen will return for his fifth year running the entire football operation. Th is was affirmed Monday after ownership upheld what was stated Nov. 10, when head coach Brian Daboll was fired, that Schoen would stay on to lead the search for a new head coach. There was also the caveat that Schoen would be subject to a performance review after the season.
That review did not lead to a dismissal after the Giants needed to win their last two games — breaking a nine-game losing streak to finish 4-13 a year after going 3-14.
“The 2025 season has been deeply disappointing, and the results on the field have not lived up to the standard this organization and our fans expect,” the co-owners said in a joint statement Monday. “As previously stated, Joe Schoen will remain our General Manager and continue to lead our football operations and the search for our next head coach. Continuity and stability in the front office is important to our progress.
“We believe in our young core of talent, which we can build around for future success.”
Unlike last year’s team, this edition had rookie Jaxson Dart, who within the Giants building is widely considered to be their franchise quarterback. Schoen expertly engineered a draft-day trade back up into the first round to get Dart with the No. 25 pick. Despite the meager results this past season, bringing Dart in was a boon for Schoen in the eyes of the decision-makers who went against public sentiment by keeping him aboard.
The Giants are 22-45-1 in his five years, with one winning season and one playoff victory. They are 7-27 the past two years.
“For me, early on I made mistakes,” Schoen said, when asked why he believed he deserved to keep his job. “I’m fortunate to have great ownership here where you’re allowed to stub your toe and try to course correct. Over the last couple of years, we’ve been able to add a franchise quarterback. You’ve been able to add a No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers. The defensive line, the pass rushers. There are pieces in place that also make this an attractive job. Looking at where we’re going, where the build is, what the plan is moving forward, and seeing the vision through is why I think that’s the case.’’
Clearly, ownership believes the sad results are not entirely commensurate with the assembled talent on the roster.
Schoen said his preliminary contact with representatives has shown that head coach candidates “are excited about the opportunity here because of Jaxson Dart.”
Dart sounded excited Schoen will continue to try to build the Giants into a winner.
“I have a ton of confidence in him,” Dart said. “It’s been great to have a relationship with him and build it. There’s a lot of things to be excited for here. We’re gonna take the right steps necessary to make sure we’re in the best position we can be next year, and I have all the confidence in him.”
Receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, set to become a free agent, was in Schoen’s first draft class in 2022.
“I think he can,’’ Robinson said of Schoen’s ability to turn around the Giants’ fortunes. “He’s drafted some valuable pieces, brought in some good pieces. Obviously not every pick you make is going to be a hit. I feel he’s drafted some good core pieces that should be around here for a long time.”
Schoen has compiled a list of head coach candidates and that list will be shared with ownership.
“Collectively we’ll come up with who the next head coach of the New York Giants is going to be,” Schoen said. “Ultimately, it’s ownership’s decision, but I imagine that’s going to be a collaborative effort.”
Schoen does not anticipate losing any potential head coach because the candidate will not want to work with him.
“Talking to a lot of the representatives of potential head coaches, that has not come up one time and doesn’t appear to be anything that’s going to deter a coach from wanting to take this job,” Schoen said. “There’s actually the opposite. There’s a lot of excitement for the opportunity. We have phenomenal ownership, the history of the team, and some of the young pieces that are in place along with some of the veterans.”
The Giants must get this next hire right.
“We’re going to get the right person to lead the franchise and, again, get us back to what the standard is,” Schoen said. “That’s competing for championships on a yearly basis.”
