Following Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the Giants released a statement from Owner John Mara saying that they are sticking with General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll for next season. The move comes as a shock to most fans as the Giants just finished the season at 3-14 and with the most losses in franchise history.
Statement from Giants President John Mara pic.twitter.com/NwetfGG2In
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 6, 2025
With the move being extremely controversial there is both an upside and a downside to Mara’s decision. Let’s break down why this was the wrong move for big blue.
1. Two Out of Three Seasons Under .400
Aside from Daboll’s first season where he led the Giants to 9-7-1 record (.529) and broke the Giants 11-year playoff win drought, the 2022 NFL AP Coach of the Year hasn’t found much success. In 2023 he led big blue to a .352 (6-11) winning percentage and .176 (3-14) this past season in 2024.
While most new head coaches don’t find success early, the extreme lack of winning is concerning given the rapid decline in winning percentage from 2022-2024. One could argue that with a very similar roster, especially from 2022-2023 there is no reason for a drop off as significant as the one the Giants have been facing.
On top of everything in 2025 the Giants have the toughest schedule in the entire league based on 2024 records (NYG .574). Meaning that if the winning culture (or lack thereof) in the Giants building continues this time around next year it is not going to be good for the duo of Schoen and Daboll.
Next season’s opponents for the Giants pic.twitter.com/4tGrtMrxru
— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) January 6, 2025
2. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley Situation
While the initial contract negotiations were just about two years ago, it is hard to leave the past in the past when it still haunts the present. At the same time, it is easy to look back and realize Schoen dropped the ball by giving Jones too much money instead of franchise tagging him over Barkley. However, for fans it was and still is embarrassing that Schoen let Barkley walk to a division rival and then not even a year and a half later grant Jones’ request to be released from the team early.
In retrospect Schoen ideally should have put his foot down when Jones wanted the huge contract with no negotiation and the team could have avoided locker room baggage and significant dead money. However, at the same time, if Schoen gave Barkley the contract instead of Jones, and Barkley didn’t want to be on the team he wouldn’t have signed a contract, and there is nothing Schoen could have done about it.
While there is no telling how the situation could have played out if the front office made different choices, it can be argued that by franchise tagging Barkley back in 2023 didn’t help their position and completely ruined the relationship.
On top of the contract debacle, another miscue by the duo is the way that Schoen and Daboll handled the Jones being benched then released situation. It was extremely hard to watch and unprofessional in a sense. It made a mockery out of the once very proud and high standard organization. While the two are still very new in their head roles there was and is no excuse for their poor decision making and conflict resolution.
3. Draft Busts In First Round Picks
When it comes to late round picks Schoen does a good job finding a diamond in the rough, however when it comes to first round picks he has struggled. Looking back to his first overall pick in 2022 he selected Kayvon Thibodeaux (fifth overall) which was a slid pick considering his performance the past two years, but he hasn’t developed into the star he was predicted to be.
Then with their second first round draft pick that year they selected Evan Neal seventh overall which has been a disaster. He has struggled every year since being drafted in the league and constantly is a threat to any Giants Quarterback that is placed behind him. His performance had gotten so bad that he was benched for the majority of this year until injuries opened up some playing time.
Looking forward one year to 2023 the Giants selected Deonte Banks 24th overall and he was decent his first season, but this past year he has been nothing but trouble. Between attitude problems, to lack of effort to getting toasted every other play he has had a significant drop off between his rookie and second season. For Schoen and Daboll’s sake fans should pray that it was just a sophomore slump, but if he doesn’t get his act together the Giants are gonna need to find a new cornerback.
For this year’s draft the Giants hold the third overall pick with lots of areas needing to be addressed. It will be interesting to see which direction the front office decides to go, but don’t be surprised if they do select a QB.
