Giants Stick With Joe Schoen After 4–13 Season and Daboll Firing

The New York Giants confirmed Monday that Joe Schoen will return as general manager and lead the organization’s search for a new head coach, despite the team finishing the 2025 season with a 4–13 record. The decision followed a third consecutive losing season and came one day after the Giants concluded their schedule, improving slightly from a 3–14 record in 2024 but remaining near the bottom of the NFL.

Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch announced the decision in a statement, acknowledging the disappointment surrounding the season while outlining their reasoning for continuity in the front office. “The 2025 season has been deeply disappointing, and the results on the field have not lived up to the standard this organization and our fans expect,” Mara and Tisch said. They added that Schoen would continue to oversee football operations and the search for the next head coach, citing continuity and stability as priorities.

Schoen, 46, was hired in 2022 alongside head coach Brian Daboll. Their first season produced a 9–7–1 record and a playoff appearance, but the results deteriorated as the roster increasingly reflected Schoen’s personnel decisions. Since that opening year, the Giants have gone 13–38 over the past three seasons. Overall, Schoen’s regular-season record stands at 22–45–1, with a 1–1 mark in the postseason. Since the start of the 2023 season, New York owns a .255 winning percentage, better than only the Tennessee Titans during that span.

Daboll did not survive the downturn. He was fired last month, roughly 10 weeks into the season, after the Giants again fell to the bottom of the NFC East. Schoen was retained, even though the team went 2–5 after Daboll’s dismissal. Ownership had placed both men on the hot seat following the 2024 season, but only the coach was ultimately removed.

Schoen said Monday he was grateful for the opportunity to continue in the role. “I’m honored and humbled that John Mara and Steve Tisch would allow me to see this process through,” he said. Schoen declined to discuss whether he has received a contract extension as he enters the final year of the five-year deal he signed upon being hired, saying he did not want to get into his personal contract situation.

As Schoen’s status became official, sportsbooks adjusted markets tied to the Giants’ immediate future. Team futures across major books such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, PointsBet, and Caesars already had New York priced as a distant longshot. By late November, the Giants were listed around 100–1 to win the Super Bowl, a significant shift from preseason odds that were closer to 20–1. Division and conference markets showed similar positioning, with odds near 50–1 to win the NFC East and even longer to win the NFC.

More movement occurred in the market surrounding the Giants’ next head coach. With Schoen confirmed as the decision-maker, DraftKings and other sportsbooks adjusted odds on potential candidates. John Harbaugh moved rapidly from a longshot to the favorite, while Kevin Stefanski emerged as the primary alternative.

Schoen said his presence has not been a concern for potential candidates. “That has not come up one time,” he said, adding that there has been excitement around the opportunity. He said leadership, football acumen, player development, and communication would be key criteria in the search. Interim head coach Mike Kafka is expected to be among those interviewed as the process accelerates now that the regular season has ended.

The Giants hold the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL draft after winning their final two games. Ownership has pointed to recent drafts as evidence of progress. The 2025 draft produced quarterback Jaxson Dart and edge rusher Abdul Carter in the first round, along with running back Cam Skattebo in the third. Dart provided stability at quarterback, Carter finished the season strongly, and Skattebo contributed before an injury shortened his year. The 2024 draft yielded wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was productive before suffering a season-ending knee injury early this year, as well as running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and tight end Theo Johnson.

Schoen’s tenure has also included several high-profile decisions that did not pan out. Following the 2022 season, he signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term contract and placed the franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley. Jones was released less than two years later. Barkley departed in free agency the following offseason and joined the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won Offensive Player of the Year and the Super Bowl in his first season. Safety Xavier McKinney left in that same offseason and became an All-Pro with the Green Bay Packers.

Early draft investments have produced mixed results. Offensive tackle Evan Neal did not play a snap during the 2025 season. Cornerback Deonte Banks spent much of the year limited to kickoff return duties. Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, selected fifth overall in the 2022 draft, has yet to develop into the Pro Bowl-level player projected at the time.

Schoen has acknowledged that the success of his first season accelerated expectations, previously saying the organization moved faster than intended after the 2022 playoff run and that doing so contributed to mistakes. Despite three straight losing seasons and consecutive last-place finishes in the NFC East, ownership has continued to back him. After Daboll’s firing, Mara said he believed Schoen had assembled a core that could still be developed into a winning team.

With Schoen remaining in charge, the Giants continue their coaching search while managing a roster that has won seven games over the past two seasons. The organization has made clear that the responsibility for the next phase of the franchise now rests with the same general manager who has overseen its recent results.