Joe Schoen, New York Giants
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General manager Joe Schoen of the New York Giants speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Since John Harbaugh was made head coach of the New York Giants, sweeping changes have been made in the organizational structure.
For the first time in Giants history, the head coach has a direct line of communication with the owner, something that Harbaugh required before agreeing to take the Giants job.
Since then, there have been reports that Joe Schoen has been demoted, or at least lost some of his power and influence in the building to Harbaugh and the newly hired Senior Vice President of Football Operations & Strategy, Dawn Aponte.
Schoen reports directly to her, and Aponte to Harbaugh, according to The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor.
But the Giants are doing their best to dispel that narrative, and that’s exactly what Schoen told the media at his NFL Scouting Combine press conference.
Joe Schoen Denies Demotion, Confirms Change in Structure
Despite the chatter, Schoen told reporters that he is still the general manager of the New York Giants, and his duties have not changed since the hiring of Harbaugh and Aponte.
“Joe Schoen stresses he is still the Giants GM and his responsibilities haven’t changed. He says Dawn Aponte has different strengths and weaknesses, but her role is very similar to that of Kevin Abrams,” wrote SNY’s Connor Hughes on X.
In the same breath, Schoen also confirmed that the reporting structure has changed, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, marking a strong contrast in the power he previously held under former head coach Brian Daboll.
Schoen may still be the general manager in title, but it’s clear he relinquished a decent portion of control in the Giants building when Harbaugh was brought in.
Previous reports indicated that Schoen had been essentially relegated to head of scouting, which means he’ll still have some say in the draft and personnel, but the new head coach has the final say.
Considering some of Schoen’s draft classes over the years as GM, there likely won’t be many Giants fans who aren’t okay with that structure.
Giants Ownership Pushes Back on Demotion Narrative
Before Schoen even took the podium this morning in Indianapolis, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz reported that New York Giants ownership was not happy with the discourse surrounding their current general manager and his perceived role change.
“Giants ownership is not happy with the characterization outside the building that Schoen’s responsibilities are diminished or that he has been relegated to scouting and nothing else,” wrote Schwartz.
“He has operated this offseason in the same manner he has in his previous four with the Giants, other than initially being immersed in the comprehensive head coach search that identified Harbaugh as the No. 1 target as soon as he became available.”
Schwartz also adds that Schoen assisted in assembling Harbaugh’s coaching staff and played a key role in the hiring of Aponte, whom he crossed paths with during his time working for the Miami Dolphins.
The fact of the matter remains, though, that the Giants have changed their organizational structure for Harbaugh. It’s something new for the team and something they haven’t done in their illustrious history.
Schoen can claim the title of general manager all he wants, but the pecking order is clear, and Harbaugh stands alone at the top.