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In the same Monday statement that confirmed the New York Giants had parted ways with head coach Brian Daboll, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch revealed that Joe Schoen was remaining the club's general manager "and will lead the search for a new head coach." Understandably, that line caused fans to assume Schoen will stay with the Giants through at least the start of the 2026 NFL season. However, it seems as if some insiders aren't convinced that will definitely be the case. When could Giants ownership review Joe Schoen's status? "I don't believe Joe Schoen is certain to be Giants GM next year," longtime New York sports reporter Ian O'Connor of The Athletic shared on Tuesday. "They needed someone to get things going on the search, especially with John Mara dealing with his illness. Ownership will make the final call on the coach in January, when I'd expect Schoen to be reviewed again." Dan Duggan of The Athletic mentioned that the Giants are responsible for the second-worst record in the NFL since the start of the 2023 season (11-33). As WFAN's Evan Roberts pointed out, Giants radio play-by-play announcer Bob Papa said on a recent edition of the "Bleav in Giants" podcast that he believes "all bets are off" regarding Schoen's future with the organization. Mara and Tisch reportedly feel that coaching is to blame for why the 2025 Giants are 2-8 and for why Big Blue squandered four double-digit leads in four road losses from Week 2 through Week 10. That said, it remains to be seen how ownership will react if the Giants keep losing under interim head coach Mike Kafka. Is it a guarantee that Joe Schoen will remain with Giants after 2025 season? On Tuesday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said he does not think it's a guarantee that Schoen will be calling the shots for the Giants when the team makes draft picks next spring. "But I think it’s fair to look at a few situations across the NFL over the past couple of years where GMs survived coach firings and were paired with new coaches (George Paton/Sean Payton in Denver, Chris Ballard/Shane Steichen in Indy, Eliot Wolf/Mike Vrabel in New England, Ryan Poles/Ben Johnson in Chicago), and it seems to be working out," Breer added. For a piece published Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the Giants "firing Daboll while keeping Schoen was a mild surprise among people I spoke to around the league." Fowler also wrote that "those same people...wonder whether the direction of the coaching search could affect Schoen's future somehow." "...If the Giants' desired coaching candidate insists on his own guy (for the GM role), it will test the franchise's mettle," Fowler continued. In short, Schoen may need the Giants to win more than a couple of games through Week 18 to remain employed through the upcoming offseason.
