The Giants General Manager’s Biggest Issue Heading Into the 2026 Season

The New York Football Giants decided to keep their current general manager, Joe Schoen, a while longer. He has shown signs of fixing the team and of making the worst possible decisions over the last several years. It hasn’t been all bad, though it hasn’t been that great either. The 46-year-old general manager has been inconsistent from year to year. Though the former wide receiver has led the franchise to memorable moments, the team has fallen to the bottom of the barrel in the last several years since he arrived. Fans and analysts believe that the Giants should have moved on, but New York wanted to keep the former Buffalo Bills assistant general manager.

​Issues in Free Agency

To start, Schoen has not been the greatest in free agency. The former DePauw Tiger does not jump on top players entering free agency. There have been a ton of missed opportunities since the five-foot-10 GM came in. During this past season, this general manager could have picked up players such as Kenneth Walker III or someone else who are big names and know how to play the game. There were risks the Giants' senior vice president could have taken, but he did not.

Forthcoming, the Indiana native may continue to be this way, with having to be convinced by the franchise itself to take them. He had players like Saquon Barkley, whom he could have brought back from free agency. However, the DePauw University graduate chose not. Free agency has not been great for him; he’s picked up big names, but they're players who are at the end of their careers and haven't been their best in years. One example is last year's debut of former quarterback Russell Wilson, who joined the team and sat on the bench in Week Three. They don’t need names; they need players who can get the job done.

The Uneven Draft Classes

Schoen started off with a pretty bad draft class when he came in to be the Big Blues general manager. He dropped every veteran he could from the team and started fresh; at the time, that included Giants Super Bowl Champion and MVP Eli Manning, who retired, so the 46-year-old Indiana native could bring in new talent. The Daniel Jones Era began, and it was not a great one. New York made the playoffs only once during their time there. Among the players drafted by him and former head coach Brian Daboll, some were not top-tier but seemed promising. Players who could not get the job done as needed. One example is Deonte Banks, who was such a promising cornerback but turned out to be a complete bust for the team.

The New York general manager has had great drafts in both years. Pulling in players such as Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Arvell Reese, and, prior to that, Malik Nabers, who have all played very well in New York. He has struggled, but the uneven drafting of the draft classes definitely shows during the regular season. The team is the one that suffers for the picks that were made. Hopefully, this coming season won’t be a bust for Big Blue.

​The Giants Have Never Had a Clear Identity

When the former Carolina Panthers scout came in, the Giants were in the midst of a rebuild. One that was needed and generally required a few puzzle pieces to be put in place. It wasn’t much that was really needed. Schoen, however, decided it would be a good idea to give the franchise an entirely new face. Since then, the team has not been known for one thing at all. It’s been multiple areas, not just one main focus. The Giants have been all over the place over the last several years under the former DePauw quarterback’s leadership as general manager. The Giants have no clear identity right now. However, with John Harbaugh coming in, that may change this coming season.