Tag: Joe Schoen

Report: Giants’ Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll expected to return in 2025

The New York Giants are reportedly expected to keep general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll beyond this year.

It’s been a nightmare year for the New York Giants, which began in January when a blowup between head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale led to an ugly divorce.

Things got no better during free agency when running back Saquon Barkley split to join the Philadelphia Eagles, only to have that separation play out for the world to see on “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.”

Then came the play…

The Giants are 2-8 entering Week 12 and have released quarterback Daniel Jones only 20 months after signing him to a four-year, $160 million contract.

It’s been one snafu after another and the franchise has become the NFL’s whipping boy. They are routinely mocked on network television and criticized the league over — by current and former executives, current and former players, and media personalities alike.

Despite it all, co-owner John Mara gave the current regime a vote of confidence back in October and apparently intends to stand by that.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that Mara intends to keep Schoen as GM beyond this year.

Multiple sources reiterated this week to CBS Sports that Giants owner John Mara intends to keep Schoen beyond this year. Mara has said as much publicly, and Schoen has echoed his boss as recently as last week. Yet questions around the league have persisted in recent weeks about whether Mara would make a move on the general manager who signed Jones to the four-year, $160 million contract two seasons ago.

Sources say the answer is no, and they explain that because Mara is present for the day-to-day operations, he understands why and how the contract was given in the first place.

In addition to Schoen, Jones reports that the team also appears inclined to keep Daboll as its head coach into 2025 and potentially beyond.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll is also presumed to return for 2025 as Mara does not wish for more upheaval. Daboll spent more time with the quarterbacks this season, coaching Jones hard at his request after becoming the full-time playcaller. He is expected to get the opportunity to coach up a new quarterback with the Giants next season.

“I don’t think there’s a strong appetite for change,” a source said.

After a decade of constant resets, rebuilds, and front office turnover, Mara and fellow co-owner Steve Tisch appear poised to stick this one out. At least for one more season.

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Report: Finger-pointing, eroding trust have infected Giants’ locker room

Brian Daboll is reportedly blaming the defense (again) for the New York Giants’ struggles as trust continues to erode in the locker room.

Things have been getting uglier and uglier in East Rutherford since the airing of “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” this past July.

General manager Joe Schoen’s handling of running back Saquon Barkley has been widely criticized, and head coach Brian Daboll’s falling out with former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and other assistants has left a stain on this regime.

Following the benching of quarterback Daniel Jones this week, the erosion has been kicked into high gear.

Defensive captain Dexter Lawrence publicly questioned the decision, while other anonymous players offered even harsher takes.

One player called DJ’s benching “trash” and “weak as (expletive).” Meanwhile, other reports surfaced suggesting that Schoen is not well-liked in the locker room.

With Jones now subjected to humiliating roles during practice, the locker room trust continues to evaporate, reports Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

There was no energy on the field at the start of the Giants’ practice on Wednesday.

“A little dead” is how one player described it afterwards.

The humiliating scene of Daniel Jones taking snaps as the No. 4 quarterback behind new signing Tim Boyle had everything to do with that. And it was just as much about the questions that Jones’ shutdown invited for the Giants’ players.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton joined Lawrence in speaking publicly and candidly about the ongoings in East Rutherford.

“I think ultimately anybody can respect and get behind any decision that’s made [when] you ask yourself the question, ‘Does this help us win? Yes or no?’ And the answer is yes,” Slayton said. “You can get behind any decision that is made as long as that answer is yes.

“When that answer starts being ‘I don’t know’ or ‘no,’ it doesn’t matter how you did or what you did, because at the end of the day, our job is to win. Nobody’s going out there risking their body to lose.”

Slayton stopped short of providing his own answer but the implication was obvious. He added that there were many reasons for the team’s eight losses beyond Jones.

Meanwhile, Leonard reports that a familiar theme is also playing out inside 1925 Giants Drive this year. Similar to last season, Daboll has apparently begun to place much of the blame on the defense, which is run under first-year defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

It’s the same scenario that ultimately ran Martindale out of town.

Sources say Brian Daboll and the coaching staff, meanwhile, are ratcheting up pressure and frustration with the defense for giving up big plays — as if Daboll’s league-worst 15.6 points per game offense that just shut down its starting quarterback isn’t the root of the problem.

That blame game and discord sounds familiar to 2023, doesn’t it?

One anonymous player lamented that seven games remained this year, saying it’s like “a whole college season” left to play.

As many things change in East Rutherford, so many seem to stay the same.

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Giants’ Drew Lock calls being passed over an ‘interesting situation’

New York Giants QB Drew Lock is “upset” after being passed over for the starting role, calling the entire situation “interesting.”

This past offseason, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen misread the room and was left empty-handed when disgruntled quarterback Tyrod Taylor jumped ship to the New York Jets.

Schoen had been convinced Taylor would return despite losing his job due to injury in 2023, as we saw on “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.”

With Schoen caught off guard by Taylor’s departure, he went out and signed quarterback Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal.

Lock was viewed as an insurance policy in the event Daniel Jones (knee) was unable to start the season. When it became apparent DJ would return, Lock assumed the backup role knowing that an opportunity to start could come down the line.

To date, that moment has not arrived.

The Giants benched Jones earlier this week but instead of handing the keys over to Lock, they promoted Tommy DeVito from QB3 to QB1 after 10 straight games as a healthy scratch.

The decision left many perplexed, including Lock.

“If you get to be the backup all year and the time comes and you end up still being a backup, you’re upset,” Lock told reporters on Wednesday. “Definitely disappointed.”

Lock says he will remain professional and avoid tearing up the locker room due to his frustration, but admits the entire situation is “interesting.”

“Again, that’s a question I might still have for myself,” Lock said when asked why he was QB2 all season and not starting now. “It was expressed to me that I was going to be the two. I don’t know, it’s an interesting situation. Not much I can really say about it.

“There’s a ton of emotions involved in all of it. I would say, this is still a business. I want more jobs after this year.”

The best way to stay relevant and generate free agent interest is by putting good film on tape but for the time being, that’s not going to happen. However, it also doesn’t mean Lock’s New York window is closed because head coach Brian Daboll refused to commit to DeVito beyond Week 12, which in and of itself is curious.

Maybe the Giants start Lock in Week 13. Or who knows, maybe they leapfrog him again and go with the recently signed Tim Boyle. Anything seems possible at this point.

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Mark Schlereth on Daniel Jones benching: ‘This is why the Giants suck’

Mark Schlereth slammed the New York Giants for their handling of the QB situation, saying they “suck” and calling them a “clown show.”

The New York Giants are once again the laughingstock of the NFL and their demotion of quarterback Daniel Jones hasn’t gone over like they had hoped.

Players are angry and confused with the decision, while experts and analysts from around the league continue to criticize general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll’s handling of the situation.

In the mind of retired NFL offensive lineman and current FS1 analyst Mark Schlereth, this is just another example of a failing franchise.

“This is why the Giants suck,” he said on Tuesday. “Drew Lock has been your backup quarterback for the entirety of the season, right? He was the guy, if Daniel Jones was going to get hurt, he was the guy that was going in. He was good enough to do that for you for the entirety of this season.

“But as soon as you decide to bench Daniel Jones, you decide to go with the sideshow, Tommy Cutlets. Because why? Because your fan base will be excited?”

Schlereth also believes the decision to leapfrog Drew Lock in favor of Tommy DeVito, which some believe was done for financial reasons, will repel free agent players in the future.

“Like, to me, this is the biggest issue. You’re a bad franchise. You need to attract free agents to come to your franchise,” he said. “If I’m a free agent player, and all things being equal from a money standpoint, I look at this clown show versus some other team… I’m not going to the Giants. That’s a clown show.

“That guy worked all year to be the backup to get his opportunity. He signed there to have an opportunity because he knew Daniel Jones was questionable and at the 11th hour you decide, ‘no, we’re going to go with (DeVito).'”

Of course, Schlereth didn’t actually say “DeVito.” Instead, he mimicked circus music with a background overlay to really hammer home how much of an embarrassment the Giants have become.

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Giants player blasts ‘weak’ demotion of Daniel Jones, calls it ‘trash’

Cracks are forming and New York Giants players are talking with one claiming the demotion of QB Daniel Jones was “trash” and “weak as —-.”

Cracks are beginning to form in the New York Giants’ foundation and players are starting to get a little loud.

On Tuesday, it was reported that general manager Joe Schoen is not well-liked among some players in the Giants’ locker room, particularly after his handling of cornerback Nick McCloud’s release.

There have also been some eyebrow-raising social media interactions with certain players “liking” comments made by ex-Giants running back Saquon Barkley and a curious comment made by wide receiver Darius Slayton, which he attempted to explain away.

While those issues are subtle, defensive captain Dexter Lawrence was anything but when asked about the benching of quarterback Daniel Jones.

“A little bit of confusion,” Lawrence said, via The Athletic. “(Brian Daboll) just said it was a hard decision. I’m sure it’s hard. He’s the QB1. To me, the best quarterback on the team. But they see things differently. I guess that’s all that matters.

“Teams lose games, not just one player, and I think that should be understood.”

Lawrence is not the only person who feels that way. An anonymous offensive player spoke with NFL insider Jordan Schultz and sounded off on the demotion of Jones.

“We’re not idiots. They did it because of money. So be it. But Daniel has been all class, never complained, and is now being completely disregarded. The team record is bad. You can point fingers everywhere,” the player said. “To try to blame him is trash, and making him third string is weak as (expletive).”

Schultz added that several other players have also expressed their “disappointment” in the decision.

The ship hasn’t sunk but it’s certainly taking on water. Once players begin to gripe — especially team captains — it’s nearly impossible to reel things back in.

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are on the verge of losing the locker room and if that happens, there’s nothing co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch will be able to do to save them — even if that would be their preference.

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Report: Joe Schoen ‘not that popular’ in Giants locker room

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is reportedly not very popular in the locker room and among players “at all.”

If New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are to keep their job after this season, they will need to do two things: Win some games and keep the locker room intact.

Both of those feel like a tall order at this point, especially in the aftermath of benching quarterback Daniel Jones, which upset defensive captain Dexter Lawrence.

The recent release of cornerback Nick McCloud also weakened the team on defense and special teams. Similarly, it was not received well in the locker room.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, while speaking with our friends at Talkin’ Giants, revealed that cracks are beginning to form between the current regime and the players.

“I’ve talked to plenty of guys in the locker room and those kind of things bother them,” Raanan said of the McCloud release. “The GM is not that popular in the locker room at all. So, these things do matter.”

The McCloud release, and specifically how Schoen approached it, did not go over well with several of the players. Raanan also pointed out that players liking Saquon Barkley’s posts, Darius Slayton’s “free man” comment that he later tried to explain away, and other examples are no accident.

But the issues didn’t begin this season. Raanan notes that tensions began to bubble in 2023 after Tyrod Taylor lost the job to DeVito following an injury.

During HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants,” Schoen appeared to indicate that Taylor would return as the backup. Raanan says that was never going to happen, which proves how out of touch he is with the actual players.

“The funny thing is their misevaluation of (the situation). If Hard Knocks was true, they really thought Tyrod might come back,” Raanan said. “He wasn’t going to come back. He didn’t like that he lost his job by injury again and to Tommy DeVito.

“If the front office really thought that, they’re completely out of touch.”

Ultimately, Raanan believes, both Schoen and Daboll will return in 2025 unless there is a full mutiny in the locker room or a string of humiliating losses to end the season.

The latter is to be determined, but the former has a foothold. And now Schoen and Daboll are relying on Tommy Cutlets to play well, spark the locker room, and keep their jobs safe.

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence on Daniel Jones benching: ‘It’s tough’

New York Giants NT Dexter Lawrence is confused by the demotion of QB Daniel Jones, saying it’s “tough” to see his “best friend” benched.

The New York Giants have found themselves in a situation they never wanted to be part of. Head coach Brian Daboll had some positive momentum after his first season leading Big Blue, but he and general manager Joe Schoen have done nothing but go downhill ever since then.

In their latest bid to keep their jobs, Daboll and Schoen decided to move Daniel Jones to QB3. But instead of Drew Lock taking over, as many would assume given his signing this offseason, they are giving the nod to Tommy DeVito.

Even Giants fan favorite Dexter Lawrence is confused by the decision and doesn’t necessarily agree with it, although he says he will respect the team’s decision.

“You’ve got to respect it as a player even though you don’t like it,” Lawrence said, via The Athletic. “That’s my best friend. It’s tough for that to happen. I can’t control it. They made the decision based off their evaluations and their thoughts and feelings. … That’s my boy. As a player, you got to keep playing. As a human and as a brother, I feel for him.”

Sure, as a player, you have to respect the decision. You don’t really have a say in it anyway. Daboll and Schoen are your bosses in a sense and players don’t have much of a say in anything. And it likely is hard to watch someone you care about take the brunt of all criticism.

But Lawrence also said it was confusing; that no one really understood what happened.

“A little bit of confusion,” he added. “(Brian Daboll) just said it was a hard decision. I’m sure it’s hard. He’s the QB1. To me, the best quarterback on the team. But they see things differently. I guess that’s all that matters.

“Teams lose games, not just one player, and I think that should be understood.”

The lack of transparency from the administration to the players in this situation is just another indication of how far estranged the regime has become from the locker room.

Despite co-owner John Mara publicly standing behind Schoen and Daboll, it’s about time they got ahead of this problem and began distancing themselves from this regime. It’s not working, and the sooner ownership realizes it, the sooner this organization can move forward.

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Report: ‘Growing sense’ that Giants’ Brian Daboll is ‘coaching for his job’

There is reportedly a “growing sense” around the league that New York Giants coach Brian Daboll is “coaching for his job” down the stretch.

Less than a month after getting a vote of confidence from ownership, New York Giants head coach Brian Doboll is apparently very much on the hot seat.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that there’s a growing sense Daboll is “coaching for his” job over the final seven games.

Daboll met with the media via Zoom on Monday to discuss the team’s decision to bench quarterback Daniel Jones and insert hometown hero Tommy DeVito into the starting role.

Daboll said, “a decision that we needed to make here and try to spark things, change things up. We went and did it with Tommy.”

It was suggested that the switch was made for financial reasons rather than football ones as general manager Joe Schoen had suggested they would be made going forward in his presser last week.

“I understand your question,” Daboll said. “Again, our conversations will be private. We have plenty of them. Looking forward to Tommy getting ready here to go against Tampa.”

It’s just the latest of several sudden decisions the team has made this season when it comes to personnel.  There seems to be mixed messages being sent throughout the different levels of the organization to which the response is always that there is constant communication between ownership and the rank and file.

Daboll has also put more pressure on himself this season by assuming the offensive play-calling. The Giants have been the lowest-scoring team in the NFL through 11 weeks.

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Giants’ Brian Daboll going with Tommy DeVito to ‘create a spark’

New York Giants coach Brian Daboll says he’s going with Tommy DeVito as QB1 to “create a spark” after he was a healthy scratch for 10 games.

On Monday, the New York Giants officially benched quarterback Daniel Jones, demoting him to the QB3 spot, effectively ending his career in East Rutherford.

It was a move many saw coming after a Week 10 debacle in Germany against the Carolina Panthers but one that was followed by a more controversial decision.

Instead of moving Drew Lock into the starting role and using Tommy DeVito as his backup, the Giants instead promoted DeVito to QB1 in order to create a spark.

“After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape and being around Tommy last year where he created a little bit of a spark for us, that’s the reason why we’re going with Tommy,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters.

“Drew will be the backup. Continue to work with him. He’s been nothing but a pro and as was Daniel. It’s never an easy conversation to have with the players. But felt like this was a necessary move for us and look forward to working with Tommy and getting him ready to go against Tampa.”

Daboll refused to elaborate on why Jones was demoted to QB3 and will be inactive for the remainder of the season, but the reasons are obvious. There’s an injury clause and a $23 million guaranteed salary in 2025 hanging over their heads. Admitting that would cause some issues with the NFLPA, so the coach attempted to thread a needle with his comments.

Everyone can accept that answer with a wink and a nod. We know.

But why DeVito over Lock, who was handed a one-year, $5 million contract during the offseason? After all, DeVito has been a healthy scratch for the past 10 games.

Pressed further, Daboll said after evaluating the film, they suddenly discovered that DeVito was their best quarterback.

“I wanted to take our time and watch a lot of tape. Not just this year’s, last year’s, some other things, too. And try to make the best decision we can make for our team. That’s what I did,” he said.

Uh-huh. We’re sure it has nothing to do with the potential escalators in Lock’s contract or the fact that the Giants have the third-least remaining cap space in the NFL. It was just a “football decision.”

If that were true, one must wonder how the Giants failed to recognize this over their first 10 games.

Jones is likely to be cut after this season, Lock will become an unrestricted free agent, and DeVito will become an exclusive rights free agent. It’s entirely possible — if not plausible — that none of the three return.

“We’re just focused here on this week and the decision that we made to get these guys ready to go. That’s where our focus is,” Daboll said when asked about the future of Jones and the other quarterbacks.

The irony is that DeVito was probably the best choice but how the Giants have handled him thus far, Lock’s contracts and Daboll’s answers make it a spectacle. It casts doubt on general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll and their ability to properly evaluate quarters. It also calls into question their ability to handle contracts and personnel. After all, this is far from the first time personnel decisions have raised an eyebrow.

And what if DeVito, who will play behind an improved offensive line compared to his last time on the field, actually goes out and wins? It might save the regime but cost them a chance at a true franchise quarterback.

Even when the current Giants regime makes the right move, they find a way to muck it up. And that can not make co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch happy.

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Giants starting Tommy DeVito is a financial decision, not a football one

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen said any personnel changes during the bye would be a football decision but starting Tommy DeVito isn’t that.

When he met with reporters during the team’s bye week, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen insisted any personnel moves ahead of a Week 12 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be “football decisions.”

“We’re going to evaluate everything the rest of the week and the decisions we make will be football decisions,” Schoen said. “Any decisions we make moving forward as we evaluate the roster and what we’re doing for the final seven games will be football decisions.

“We have seven games left in this season and that’s what we’re focused on. I’m focused on 2024 and how we can get better these final seven games.”

On Monday, the Giants made their first “football decision” by benching quarterback Daniel Jones. However, what they decided after that was not necessarily motivated by attempting to win the final seven games of the season.

Instead of going with backup quarterback Drew Lock, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal this past offseason, the Giants opted to turn the ball over to third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito.

That begs the question: Why?

It could be that the Giants simply haven’t been impressed with what they’ve seen from Lock, which calls into question their ability to evaluate quarterbacks. But they deserve the benefit of the doubt and the assumption that wasn’t the final reasoning.

The only other plausible option is that the Giants made a financial decision to go with DeVito over Lock, not a football one.

By avoiding potential incentives in Lock’s contract, Schoen won’t have to readjust his roster to clear salary cap space. It’s another indictment of poor personnel handling but it goes even deeper than that.

For months, the argument has been made that the Giants cheaped out on running back Saquon Barkley when failing to bridge the $2 million gap between them. Some argued it was Jones’ contract that precluded Barkley’s signing. Maybe it was Lock’s?

With the Giants now turning to DeVito, hindsight becomes clear. Had they simply gone with Tommy Cutlets as the backup in the first place, they would have had plenty of money to invest in Barkley.

Yes, benching Jones was the right decision. The argument could be made that going with DeVito is also the best football decision. But the change appears directly tied to Schoen’s poor financial and personnel handling, which is not at all what he claimed just last week.

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