The other issue is general manager Joe Schoen, whom ownership backed as part of the future when it fired Daboll in midseason. Schoen’s top-100 selections have been mixed at best during his time in New York, with major disappointments like Evan Neal and Deonte Banks joining the organization as first-round picks. Schoen oversaw the decisions to move on from Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney in free agency before the 2024 season, one year after the Giants elected to sign Daniel Jones to a four-year contract and use the franchise tag on Barkley.
There have been positives, of course. Nabers and Abdul Carter look like potential building blocks on both sides of the ball, and they’re in the middle of rookie contracts. The offensive line is in better shape than it had been over the past few years, although that’s an extremely low bar. Dart and Skattebo have the potential to be playmakers, though they’ll have to change their playing styles to stay healthy.
More than anything, though, the decision to retain Schoen and hire a new coach creates different timelines within the organization. Schoen and Daboll were hired together from Buffalo at the same time. There were no questions, at least for their first three years together, about whether they were compatible or working together. Schoen and Daboll each took their jobs in North Jersey knowing that the other guy wanted them in the building.
Now? That’s up in the air. Schoen will obviously hire someone he feels compatible with, but if the Giants decide to move on from Schoen in 2027 or 2028, it would create another mismatched timeline between the coach they hire now and the next general manager. Will that new personnel executive want to hire his own coach? Will the Giants just fire this next coach, as they (deservedly) did with Joe Judge after two seasons, so the next general manager can enter the building with his handpicked guy? Will there be more pressure on the next coach to succeed in a shortened time frame as a result? And if Dart proves to be a disappointment or can’t stay healthy, will this next coach get to go after the next quarterback?