New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is now in his second season with the team, meaning he spent an entire year getting to know his players.
Given how personable Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are, it’s no surprise that they’ve become close with so many throughout the building. That’s a positive thing but it also comes with a caveat.
Each offseason, the business side of the NFL rears its ugly head and those personal relationships have to be set aside. That’s a lot easier said than done and for Schoen, it’s his first time attempting to wade those waters.
“These guys are around, they work hard, and we had a heck of a season last year and you become close with them, and it’s hard. But there is — you have to separate it. I’m not going to say I’m good at it there’s a human element on both sides, for them and myself. But there is a business side to it,” Schoen told reporters at his pre-draft press conference on Thursday.
“That’s something I haven’t been through before. Last year, we didn’t extend anybody from our roster. It was signing some people outside the building. After going through a season with the players, and then this next step of the process whether it’s extending or players leaving the organization, yeah, the human element, that part stinks because you do like all these guys, and you know they put in a lot of work for you.”
This offseason, Schoen was thrust into long-term negotiations with three of the Giants’ star players — quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. All three are favorites of Schoen and Daboll but thus far, negotiations have been intense.
Schoen was able to ink Jones to a new deal at the last second but it hasn’t been smooth sailing with Barkley and Lawrence.
“In a perfect world there’s no salary cap, and you can make everybody happy and pay everybody,” Schoen said.
But it’s not a perfect world and Schoen has had to make some tough decisions. He’s firm in his negotiations and when he draws a line in the sand, that’s it. And therein lies the real challenge.
“It’s tough to separate the business end and the human element. The way Dabes and I are around the building and getting to know the players, maybe we do that more than most. But you do become attached for sure,” Schoen said.
Ideally, Schoen would like to turn the page and get back to the personable side of things. But with so much work still to be done, he won’t be crossing that bridge any time soon.
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