The offseason is here and the Giants will be making significant changes, coming off another lousy, rotten season. General manager Joe Schoen will not be one of those changes.
Schoen survived a second consecutive lousy, rotten season and will return for his fifth year running the entire football operation. This was confirmed on Monday after Schoen met with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, one day after the Giants finished with a record of 4-13. The Giants needed to win their final two games to reach that dismal mark.
Unlike last year’s team, this current edition has 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 overall 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.
Schoen is now tasked with conducting a search for the next head coach. Ownership fired Brian Daboll 10 games into the 2025 season, with the Giants at 2-8. Daboll, the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year, was Schoen’s hand-picked choice, based on their shared time together in Buffalo with the Bills. Daboll did not make it out of his fourth year.
Schoen gets to stay, despite unsightly results, especially the past two seasons. The Giants are 22-45-1 in his five years, with one winning season and one playoff victory. The Giants are 7-27 the past two years.
So, how did he survive? When Daboll was dismissed on Nov. 10, Mara said “We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development.’’
Ownership went against the wishes of fans who wanted Schoen out.
Clearly, ownership believes the sad results are not entirely commensurate with the assembled talent on the roster. Schoen drafted Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers, running backs Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo and edge rusher Abdul Carter. Schoen also traded for outside linebacker Brian Burns, who finished second in the NFL in 2025 with 16.5 sacks. Schoen gave contract extensions to left tackle Andrew Thomas and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, first-round picks from the Dave Gettleman regime. Schoen also cleaned up an inherited salary cap mess.
Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi once said the main job of an NFL general manager was to get a franchise quarterback to lead the team. Accorsi signed Kerry Collins, who helped the Giants get to a Super Bowl, and made a bold 2004 draft-day trade to acquire Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowls. Schoen after a surprisingly successful 2022 season with Daniel Jones tried to make it work with Jones, a 2019 first round pick, essentially giving Jones a two-year, $80 million commitment. That move failed and Schoen painstakingly scouted and investigated Dart before swinging a deal to bring him to the Giants. Dart showed great promise in his rookie season and the Giants go into the 2026 NFL Draft looking to fill other needs, believing they have their quarterback.
Dart went 4-8 in his 12 starts. He completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions for a passer rating of 91.7. He also rushed 86 times for 487 yards and nine touchdowns.
It looks as if Schoen got it right with Dart but his track record in the draft is spotty. He took outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 5 overall) and offensive tackle Evan Neal (No. 7) in the first round in 2022 and neither developed into a difference-maker. Thibodeaux at least is a solid player. Neal is a bust. Schoen’s first-round pick in 2023, cornerback Deonte Banks, is heading down the “bust’’ road, as well. Third-round misses include offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu (2022) and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (2023).
Mara is undergoing cancer treatments and jettisoning Schoen with one year remaining on his contract would have put the organization behind the other teams that will be in need of a new head coach. A general manager search would have delayed the head coach search. Schoen has compiled an extensive list of potential candidates and since the second week of November, has been researching those candidates. He will quickly attempt to set up interviews and will cast a wide net.
Schoen will not limit his search to former head coaches or coordinators on one specific side of the ball. He wants to find a leader of men who can build a top-notch staff. Finding someone who can continue Dart’s development is a priority. If a coach with a background on defense is interviewed, who that coach will bring in as the offensive coordinator will be a critical part of the evaluation process.
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