In past years, it would have been Scheon’s call alone. Now, with Harbaugh leveraging a direct line of reporting to ownership, the coach and G.M. are on equal footing. If anything, Harbaugh has more juice.
To date, Harbaugh has praised Schoen. The mere fact that Harbaugh’s opinion of Schoen even matters shows how dramatically the Giants’ power structure has changed. Previously, the coach of the Giants worked for the G.M. Now, it already feels like the G.M. is working for the coach. And the Lawrence conundrum gives Harbaugh an opportunity to evaluate Schoen’s skills and abilities when it comes to finding a solution and negotiating a contract that allows the Giants to have enough cash and cap space to build a contending team.