New York Giants players are “surprised” Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were retained after “distrust” plagued the locker room in 2024.
The New York Giants decided to run things back after one of their worst seasons in franchise history, with co-owner John Mara committing to general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll for at least one more year.
It’s a decision that surprised several players, reports ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Multiple players said they were “surprised” Daboll was retained. Some said they were fine with the decision, in part, because he’s a player-friendly coach — open to feedback and incorporates a favorable schedule that hardly wore them down. Daboll’s program is known to be heavy on off days and meetings don’t start that early (8:30 a.m.). The players seem to like Daboll, the person, even though they see signs his program is not destined for success.
“It’s like your only option is to blindly trust,” an offensive player said.
Although players like “the person,” they are less enthused about the coach. Upwards of 20 players and coaches spoke to Raanan on the condition of anonymity and the picture they painted is hardly a Bob Ross special.
Multiple issues plagued the team throughout the season, including “insecurity, lack of accountability, conviction and veteran leadership in the locker room.” Above all else, trust issues loomed the largest.
There was a lack of trust between the team and players — one defensive player went so far as to describe it as “distrust.”
Several players, including wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, questioned some of the team’s personnel decisions. The quarterback carousel was among the most highlighted.
Players noticed a growing tension between Daniel Jones and Daboll before his release, and they also called into question the decision to initially start Tommy DeVito over Drew Lock.
“That was definitely something we didn’t know what was going on at that point,” Robinson said. “But above our pay grade.”
Then there was the decision to release cornerback Nick McCloud, who was loved and respected in the locker room, after he refused to take a pay cut. That divorce turned out to be much messier than Schoen would lead you to believe.
Before the start of a Week 4 game against the Cowboys, the Giants wanted McCloud to take a pay cut from the one-year, $2.98 million deal he signed as a restricted free agent in the offseason, according to a player source. McCloud wanted to remain with the Giants, but on his current deal. Asking him to take a pay cut during the season, before a game he was set to start, was bold and unusual, according to multiple executives around the league.
According to multiple Giants players, Schoen told McCloud’s representatives, “Don’t pay October’s rent, all right? As soon as I can replace him, I’m going to replace him. I’m not f****** around.”
The Giants general manager hung up the phone.
On an individual level, there were many gripes about roles and playing time. Defensive back Isaiah Simmons and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt have been vocal about their unhappiness but many others stayed quiet.
More than a handful of players spoke of being misled and left to dangle in the wind on issues, including their roles changing or snaps dwindling, without sufficient explanation.
. . .
“All you want in this league is the truth,” an offensive player said of the communication.
“When we needed [those players], they were checked out,” one defensive player said, not specifically about Simmons but about those who felt alienated.
Several players spoke of the inability to get a straight answer from the coach or GM and that affected their confidence and ultimately their ability to perform.
“Makes you wonder: Do they believe in me? Do they trust me?” another offensive player added.
This is not representative of the player-friendly, family-friendly reputation the Giants have worked so diligently to obtain over the past several decades. It’s the exact opposite of what John Mara and Steve Tisch pride themselves on.
Why Mara decided to run this back is anyone’s guess and he certainly didn’t articulate that week enough, but as some of the players who spoke to Raanan allude, this is not a recipe for success.
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