Anthony Rivardo
John Harbaugh has taken over as the new head coach of the New York Giants. Upon his arrival, Harbaugh made sweeping changes to the organization’s football operations. The organization also moved on from long-time senior executive Kevin Abrams, then hired Dawn Aponte as their new senior VP of football operations. This has led to a tremendous amount of speculation regarding general manager Joe Schoen’s role and influence within the organization.
However, I got the chance to sit down with NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton on the Fireside Giants podcast on Wednesday, and he provided some critical clarity on the internal mechanics of the new-look regime.
Giants GM Joe Schoen Has “Not Lost Power”
Dispelling rumors that Schoen has been demoted or “relegated to just handling scouting” as previous reports have suggested, Stapleton explained that the arrival of Harbaugh and Aponte was less about a coup and more about a strategic recalibration.
“Everything that I’ve been told inside the organization is that Joe [Schoen] has not lost power. This wasn’t about power; this was about structure,” Stapleton explained.
Abrams left the organization after over 30 seasons in the front office. He had been the team’s senior vice president of football operations & strategy since 2022. But, as Stapleton put it, there is more that can be done with that position.
“I don’t think they got the most out of the role that was created for Kevin Abrams in the Joe Schoen regime in these last four years,” Stapleton said. “I think there’s a lot more strength and power and influence in that position, the way it’s written, than Kevin Abrams was able to wield.”
Stapleton explained that the addition of Aponte was less about handicapping Schoen and more about elevating the status of the position previously held by Abrams.
What does Dawn Aponte’s Role in the Organization Look Like?
Aponte is stepping into the Giants’ organization with 30 years of experience and an elite reputation as a contract negotiator. She has worked both at the team level and in the league office, where she was most recently, working closely with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell
But, fans are wondering, what is her new role with the Giants going to look like? And what tasks has she taken on since joining the team? Stapleton provided some critical clarity regarding Aponte’s role amidst the Giants’ ongoing free agency and NFL Draft preparations:
“…John Harbaugh was pretty clear that it was a three-headed situation at this point. And it’s not so much that Dawn Aponte is going to take away responsibilities from Joe Schoen, but it allows them to attack it differently,” Stapleton explained.
“Case in point, they have their negotiations for their own free agents this week… The way they’re handling it is Dawn Aponte and Chris Rosetti from Pro Scouting; they’re together handling those meetings. And John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen are at the stadium [Lucas Oil in Indianapolis] doing the interviews with the prospects.
“It’s not that they said, ‘Joe Schoen, you can’t negotiate with your own free agents.’ It’s that they looked at it as a divide and conquer kind of situation that, ‘Why are we going to spread ourselves thin? Why not hire a good executive who could really strengthen the Giants organization and bring in Donna Ponte? And I think that’s what they did.”
What’s Next for Joe Schoen?
Harbaugh had tremendous success and long partnerships with his previous general managers and front office executives during his 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens. That’s great news for Schoen, who can change the narrative surrounding his name if he finds success with Harbaugh.
“…play your cards right because in five years you may be viewed as a lifelong general manager of the Giants if John Harbaugh turns this thing around the way he expects it,” Stapleton said.
The Giants have a long way to go before they can return to winning football. Coming off a 4-13 season, amidst a decade-long stretch of mostly losing football, this kind of organizational overhaul is exactly what the New York Giants needed. That’s exactly why ownership — and Schoen — recruited “relentlessly” to bring Harbaugh in as their next head coach.
Schoen, Aponte, and Harbaugh will now lead a new-look, revamped Giants organization, hopefully to a brighter future.
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