Giants Keeping GM Schoen After Daboll Exit Reportedly Was 'Mild Surprise' to Insiders

The New York Giants reportedly made a somewhat unexpected decision this week when they retained general manager Joe Schoen following the firing of head coach Brian Daboll.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that sources he spoke to within the NFL felt it was a "mild surprise" that Schoen survived the Giants' 2-8 start, while Daboll didn't.

The decision to fire Daboll came following a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Giants blew multiple 10-point leads in the game, just a few weeks after blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead in a loss to the Denver Broncos.

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New York hired Schoen away from the Buffalo Bills in January 2022, and he hired Daboll as his head coach after they worked together in Buffalo when Daboll was offensive coordinator.

Early returns were positive, as the Giants were the surprise team of the NFL in 2022, going 9-7-1, reaching the playoffs and even winning a playoff game.

Daboll was named NFL Coach of the Year and the Giants seemed to be on the right track with quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley leading the way on the field.

However, Jones was released after struggling through poor play and injuries in 2023 and 2024, and Schoen let Barkley walk in free agency following the 2023 campaign.

Barkley signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, and proceeded to rush for over 2,000 yards, win Offensive Player of the Year honors and win a Super Bowl last season.

While that didn't necessarily reflect well on Schoen and the front office as a whole, he may have bought himself some time with the strong drafting he has done the past two years.

Wide receiver Malik Nabers, cornerback Dru Phillips, tight end Theo Johnson and running back Tyrone Tracy are all significant contributors to come out of the 2024 draft, while quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo look like potential franchise cornerstones out of the 2025 draft.

Although he is just 2-5 in his seven starts as a rookie, Dart has been a revelation for the Giants this season, throwing for 1,417 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 317 yards and seven scores.

That success has come under offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who is now the Giants' interim head coach.

Fowler noted that Kafka will be given the opportunity to land the Giants' full-time head coaching job, and if that happens, it could potentially be good news for Schoen's job security.

However, if the Giants embark on a coaching search during the offseason, Schoen could be at the mercy of ownership's preferred coaching candidate and whether they are comfortable with moving forward with Schoen as their GM.