How did Giants GM Joe Schoen get a stay of execution when coach Brian Daboll was fired?
Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks to the media during his pre-draft news conference at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J, on April 16. Credit: Noah K. Murray
Back in July ahead of training camp, Giants general manger Joe Schoen gave a simple assessment of where the team should be after a 3-14 season.
“The expectation is we're going to be a competitive team, a competitive roster,” Schoen said at the time. “And again, all that starts today.”
By his own words, Schoen failed in that regard. The rough state of the roster lies at his feet as much as Brian Daboll’s. But why was Schoen not fired along with the man he hired as coach?
The two were hired in January 2022 yet split up at the gallows Monday with Schoen watching Daboll take the fall. The Giants' 11-33 record since the start of the 2023 season reflects both coaching and a bad roster but somehow only coaching merited a midseason change?
Schoen has earned the same scrutiny Daboll did. His drafting has been shaky. The free-agent moves have mixed results. Schoen returned most of the starters from last season and, not surprisingly, the team hasn't improved.
That's been the hallmark of Schoen's tenure. So few of his moves have improved things since his arrival. It starts with his first draft class headlined by Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal failing to meet expectations in different ways.
Neal hasn’t played this season. He’s been a healthy scratch for 11 straight games since last season. The offensive lineman will go down as an all-time bad Giants pick when his contract expires after this season.
And Schoen has not hit well on drafting linemen since. Fellow 2022 draftee Joshua Ezeudu has been on injured reserve all season and wasn’t productive enough when healthy. John Michael Schmitz has been disappointing in his third year at center.
The Giants didn’t even bother drafting any linemen in 2024. Marcus Mbow showed promise this year as a rookie, but overall Schoen has failed to add quality homegrown talent up front.
As for Thibodeaux, he’s been a fine player but not a game wrecker. He had 11 1/2 sacks in 2023 but just 12 in his other three seasons combined. Injuries affected him in 2024, but he hasn’t had the impact one needs from a top-five pick. Still, he’s had far more success than Neal taken two picks after him so that’s not a total whiff.
Besides Schmitz in 2023, Schoen also drafted corner Deonte Banks. Banks lost his starting job this year after his poor play in 2024 and only regained it due to injuries.
That 2023 draft class might be Schoen’s worst. Receiver Jalin Hyatt has been a non-factor and was in trade rumors this season. Running back Eric Gray hasn’t played this year due to injuries but has struggled with fumbles and poor production. Cornerback Tre Hawkins III was waived this year in training camp.
Then comes Schoen’s defining decision. He let Saquon Barkley sign with the Eagles in 2024 and watched him finish the season with a Super Bowl win and over 2,000 rushing yards.
Barkley admitted in his Amazon Prime documentary last October that the Giants might have done him a favor.
"Am I having an MVP-type season if I'm with the New York Giants?" Barkley asked at one point in the film. "No."
Schoen and the Giants will be haunted by letting an elite talent in his prime walk away within the division. For good measure, Schoen also let Xavier McKinney leave last year in free agency.
Like Barkley, McKinney was an All-Pro last season with the Packers, who come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday. He has two interceptions this season, two fewer than the entire Giants defense.
Sure, Schoen made good moves. But all of those low marks put the Giants at rock bottom. There’s good players to build around. Just not enough to believe they’ll be playoff contenders anytime soon.
So again, what has Schoen done to keep his job? Why should he be trusted to hire a sound coach given his record? If Daboll paid the price for failure, Schoen should have too.
Instead, he got a stay of execution to clean up the mess he helped make. Time will tell if that’s yet another mistake the Giants will pay for in the future.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
