Part of why the New York Giants kept head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen around after consecutive disastrous seasons was the amount of blame to be spread around.
Sure, both deserve to be on the hot seat for failing to build a team that was even close to competitive. But the administration extended Daniel Jones and saw the worst-case scenario outcome once the pen hit paper. They haven’t been able to pick their passer until April, and now they will get the opportunity to develop Jaxson Dart.
Further, New York struggled to stay healthy in each of the last two seasons. Perhaps most importantly, Schoen was tasked with rebuilding a roster that Dave Gettleman fumbled, with long-lasting salary cap implications and a handful of poor draft classes making the job more difficult.
In 2025, though, the Giants will have experienced four Schoen-led offseasons. As such, the Giants’ roster is losing the impact of its former general manager, limiting the excuses for an administration with a single playoff run to its name.
Bobby Skinner pointed out just how much of New York’s roster is made in Schoen’s vision.
“Giants Roster Make up by GM
Joe Schoen 85
Dave Gettleman 5
“It was 79-11 this time last year. The 5 Gettleman guys are Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Darius Slayton, Graham Gano & Casey Kreiter.”
The biggest difference between the two general managers is their view of positional value. Schoen’s legacy may be defined by running back Saquon Barkley’s departure. Gettleman picked him second overall in 2018.
The two also spent differently in free agency. Schoen hasn’t spent wildly in free agency, but has largely been praised for his moves (especially in 2025). Gettleman signed receiver Kenny Golladay and left tackle Nate Solder, among the biggest free agent busts in recent NFL memory.
A difficult schedule will make vast improvement hard to foster, but Schoen has made significant upgrades to New York’s secondary and pass rush in the offseason. Russell Wilson and Dart should inherently improve the offense, too. If nothing else, the Giants are running out of excuses, perhaps playing into Schoen’s fate if another season crashes and burns.