New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen might be getting fired this week. Or, he might be getting a long-term contract extension. Or, nothing could happen and the Giants could table a decision on Schoen’s future until his contract runs out at the end of the 2026 season.
It depends who you believe. Or, more accurately, whose reporting turns out to be correct.
Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News stirred up this hornet’s nest during an appearance on ‘Awful Announcing’ by saying this:
“You talk to
people in the league, it feels like anything is on the board right now. There are people in the NFL who think Joe Schoen could be fired this week.”
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post directly contradicted Leonard by saying he had “no sense at all” that Schoen was about to be fired. He also said this:
“I would not be surprised in the least if he’s offered a contract extension at some point here in the coming weeks … I think this brain trust will be moving forward together.”
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo is also not getting the impression that Schoen is being let go any time soon.
Garafolo said Schoen and Harbaugh “have hit it off really well.”
“I know a lot of people say, well, Harbaugh’s here and Schoen’s going to handle free agency and the draft and after the draft Harbaugh’s going to dispose of him. I do not expect that to happen. Joe Schoen is the general manager of the Giants and John Harbaugh is pleased about that.”
Valentine’s View
When Harbaugh was hired and granted more power than the Giants traditionally bestowed upon head coaches, it was certainly fair to wonder about Schoen’s future. After all, the Giants’ record with him as GM over four seasons is 22-35-1. There has been an exodus of star players from East Rutherford, N.J. Schoen is in the final year of his five-year contract. Oh, and players gave him a D+ grade in a 2025 NFLPA survey.
It was certainly fair to cast a keen eye and pay close attention to how the dynamic between a long-time successful head coach and a GM still struggling to get the Giants moving down the right path was going to work.
There are, at this point, no outward signs that the two are unable to work constructively together.
Harbaugh and Schoen appear to be at ease around each other. Harbaugh has said they needed to learn to “agree to agree” on decisions involving personnel. They seem to have been able to do that.
It is, for sure, an arranged marriage. A recent piece by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, who spent a day tagging along with the duo around the Giants’ facility, suggests both men have invested a great deal of time and effort in finding common ground. If you haven’t read Breer’s piece, please do.
The two say good things about each other, and there is no reason to believe they don’t mean them.
Harbaugh was asked after the draft how he felt about his working relationship with Schoen.
“I feel great about how it’s gone. Starting from the ground up looking at the staff and the scouts and everything, it’s a great group. It’s a great group that Joe put together,” Harbaugh said.
“On the scouting side I feel like they’re just thorough. They’re excellent at what they do. I saw them work. I saw their reports. I saw them through the process the last three days, the communication. One of the best things that this scouting department does is communicate with the coaches. The coaches and the scouts are seamless.
“We ended up on the same page. We didn’t always agree, but we understood where we were coming from, and then we had — probably the most important thing is to have a clear understanding of when you — my dad always used to say in recruiting, it’s not who don’t get, it’s who you get that matters.”
Harbaugh explained further about he and Schoen learning to “agree to agree.”
“Do you have a clear vision for what they’re going to do? Do you like them as a player? Can you find a place for them and get them ready to play?,” Harbaugh said. “I think we did that. Communication is a big part of that. Happy with that.
“Joe and I have been working together every single day, I mean, hours on end, whether it’s planning or organizing or just talking about players or watching tape again over and over again on these guys. I feel like it’s gone very well.”
This was Schoen talking about preparing for the draft alongside Harbaugh:
“The best way for this to work, regardless of the organization of all 32, is there be a collaborative effort and be all on the same page. The early returns on that, it’s been great. We’ve had a lot of fun. He’s passionate,” Schoen said.
“Coach Harbaugh is passionate about the draft. I’m passionate about the draft. My staff is passionate about it. Just the ongoing football conversations, sitting in the film room with him, whether it’s walking through the board or watching the film. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a lot of fun.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together working through not just first rounders, second rounders. He’s passionate about it. He knows about fourth and fifth rounders. He’s sending me text messages asking me about maybe undrafted free agents or he saw an article or an agent might have texted him. He’s really passionate about the draft, and it’s been a lot of fun being in these meetings and watching film with him.”
Based on how this offseason has gone, I see no obvious reason why Schoen and Harbaugh cannot continue to work together successfully.
