The New York Giants brought in Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll from the Buffalo Bills three years ago to help rebuild the franchise, and with the team sitting with just two wins and making history in a bad way in year three of their tenure, John Mara and ownership are faced with a decision.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic believes that the Giants could keep one of the two, even though Schoen and Daboll were brought in together and have a relationship going back to their days with the Bills.
“I think there is a world where maybe one goes and one stays; I do,” Dianna Russini said on Scoop City. “I've talked to people around the league who believe that Joe Schoen is going to be safe, that he has a good relationship with ownership.”
In the past, Mara has said that the general manager and head coach are evaluated separately, so it makes sense that this is a possibility. Despite the losing, reports indicate that the Giants would like to bring both back, but it remains to be seen what the outside pressure will lead them to do.
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel pushed back on the idea that Daboll should go, citing Schoen's decisions that have backfired over the years.
“He has decided to bring Daniel Jones back and not draft a quarterback in the best quarterback draft class in the last decade in terms of depth,” Chase Daniel said. “Then he doesn't sign Saquon Barkley back. Brian Daboll is a really good coach. You're going to keep Joe Schoen over Brian Daboll. That's bonkers to me.”
Russini then reiterated that Schoen and Daboll are not tied at the hip. It is possible that the Giants could keep one of the two.
“I think the bottom line when you're looking at the situation in New York, I do not think or believe they are together. They are not a duo. It is not looked at that way,” Russini said. “So keep that in mind as we are watching the next two weeks.”
What will Giants do with Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll?
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With the Giants holding the worst record in the NFL and having the inside track to the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, many believe this is the time to reset. However, Mara and the Giants would likely not want to give up on this regime three years in.
Schoen and Daboll had a good first year but mainly with the players who were already in place before they took the job. Since then, Daboll has had friction with his coordinators.
Wink Martindale had an ugly exit after 2023. Mike Kafka is still with the team as the offensive coordinator, but he had friction with Daboll in 2023 as well. He had his play-calling duties stripped in 2024 and was blocked from leaving for the same role with the Seattle Seahawks.
A big decision looms for Mara and Giants ownership in a few weeks when the regular season ends.
