Joe Schoen Doesn't Have To Win Over Reporters Or Fans He's Already Lost, Which Is Why He May Save His Job

It seemed as if New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen faced the music on Tuesday. The club is getting its bye week, so the general manager of a team that has fired its head coach, fired its defensive coordinator and has only five wins over the last 30 games, had to fulfill his NFL obligation of meeting with the media.

And it went about how you would expect a conversation between you and people that make no secret they want your head on a spit. It wasn't a chat. It wasn't an exchange of ideas. 

It was a grilling.

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 15: General Manager Joe Schoen of the New York Giants arrives prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

Schoen: ‘Compete For Championships’

But, you know what? Schoen held his own.

"Let me start off with two wins is not where we want to be right now," Schoen said of the team's 2-11 record. "It’s good enough. I understand the frustration from fans, ownership, the people inside the building. Nobody is more frustrated than myself, it starts with me, and I’m tasked with trying to get this organization going back in the proper direction.

"The standard is to compete for championships year in and year out and that’s the plan moving forward. So, we’re going to look at everything. Free agency, the draft, coaching, finishing, execution on the field, whatever it may be.

"We're going to look at all avenues in order to get this franchise back to where it belongs."

Fans And Reporters Want Change

On the team's YouTube channel, which broadcast the press conference in real time, fans had a field day. There were clown emojis punctuating calls for Schoen's ouster. Fans were throwing virtual tomatoes at the GM.

But that doesn't matter. And the opinion of the reporters in the press room doesn't matter. Schoen wasn't really speaking to them, either.

He was speaking to President and CEO John Mara and chairman and executive vice president Steve Tisch. They are the team's co-owners. And they will ultimately decide Schoen's fate.

And in his opening remarks, Schoen was already telling his bosses that:

1. He's accountable for the disaster.
2. He knows the expectations of the organization.
3. He has a plan going forward, or soon will have, to correct course. To get this right.

Aug 26, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets acting ceo Christopher Wold Johnson (right) talks to New York Giants co-owners John Mara (left) and Steve Tisch before a preseason game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Evaluation Coming For Schoen

The Giants have already begun the process of identifying possible replacements for fired head coach Brian Daboll. Schoen is supposed to be part of that search but, one supposes, he may have to convince Mara and Tisch he's still the right guy for not only that assignment, but finishing the job of turning the roster into a winner.

And it seems Schoen has thought about that evaluation.

"Ownership will evaluate the entire football operation at the end of the season as they should and then we'll go from there," Schoen said.

"We do have a good young quarterback that's on a rookie contract for the next four years and that's when it gets fun. When you're building around a young quarterback, you have a good nucleus, you have a good left tackle, you have a wide receiver that had a historic year as a rookie season, you got a good running back room, you got pass rushers. 

"There's pieces in place and I understand the question and I do have confidence in our ability and our process to find the next coach to lead the organization. And again, I truly believe in that process and I know we're going to get it right."

What Happened With Dart Selection?

Schoen has been criticized for the Jaxson Dart selection, despite the rookie's apparent abilities, because there is a video of him and Daboll speaking in the draft room when the decision was made that suggests it was Daboll who wanted the QB while Schoen seemed less enthusiastic.

Some fans and reporters don't trust Schoen wasn't completely behind Dart. But if and when he's asked about that by Mara, who was standing right there, the general manager has an answer at the ready.

"There's hundreds of conversations leading up to that conversation in the draft room, starting when we met with Jaxson at the Senior Bowl," Schoen said. "So, you could probably ask (sports agent) Jim Denton. It was the earliest 30 visit I've ever scheduled. It was in January when he was already on our calendar. 

"So Jaxson was a guy that was on our radar very early in the scouting process before Dabs was even aware of him, because he was coaching and anytime you're going to make a decision on a first-round quarterback, that's going to be an organizational decision and it was an organizational decision."

Apr 25, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants president John Mara (far left), general manager Joe Schoen (left), Jaxson Dart, Abdul Carter, and head coach Brian Daboll (right) pose for photos prior to the start of the press conference to introduce the Giants first round draft picks.  Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Schoen Won't Make Same Mistake Twice

Schoen seems confident he's ready to conduct a new coach search. He wouldn't be the first general manager who is tied to a coach, survives that coach's firing, and then gets to help pick yet another coach.

But what's his case for getting that privilege?

"It's the gold standard, it’s still the New York Giants, in the greatest city in the world, flagship franchise, great ownership, young quarterback, I'm excited about it," Schoen said. "I'm excited about the guys that are here. Have I screwed up and have I made mistakes? Absolutely. Absolutely.

"But I'm not going to make the same mistake twice and we're going to continue to get better, and we're going to look at everything, everything. Coaching, coordinators, strength (and conditioning), I mean, every single thing, every part of the organization. We're going to do everything we can to get this thing going in the right direction."

The question is not whether reporters and fans buy that. The question is whether John Mara and Steve Tisch buy it.