When the New York Giants brought in Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, it felt like the franchise had finally pressed reset with the right fingers. Schoen brought the scouting pedigree, Daboll brought the offensive mind, and together, they carried the team to a surprise playoff berth in their first year.
It looked like the duo had cracked the code.
But what followed was less like a breakthrough and more like a breakdown.
A Promising Start Followed by Frustration
After the playoff high of 2022, the Giants’ next two seasons didn’t just stall—they veered off the road. Key injuries, regression across the board, and some questionable personnel decisions caused the wheels to wobble, prompting the front office to reevaluate the structure that had once felt so airtight.
That evaluation has led to a pretty significant change in philosophy.
According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, the Giants have split up the duties between Schoen and Daboll, separating them into more distinct lanes rather than the collaborative, boys-club-style operation they’d been running.
It’s not a hostile split—it’s more like a professional uncoupling.
Why the Change Matters
In theory, having a tight-knit GM and head coach sounds ideal. They’re on the same page, decisions are streamlined, and communication flows. But there’s a downside—when both are involved in every decision, lines blur, and accountability can get murky.
What the Giants are doing now is creating a bit of professional distance.
That means Schoen handles personnel, scouting, and roster construction without needing Daboll’s stamp of approval at every step. Meanwhile, Daboll can get back to being a coach—not a co-GM—focusing on game-planning, development, and leadership inside the locker room.
“Gradually, however, that dynamic has shifted to the point that Schoen and Daboll now more than ever are working as separate entities, sources say.”
It’s a clear shift from a collaborative partnership to a more traditional chain of command.
Reestablishing Objectivity
By establishing this separation, the Giants are inviting more voices into the process. Decisions won’t be made in a vacuum or between just two people with aligned biases. There’s more room for checks and balances—more opportunity for ideas to be challenged before they’re implemented.
The dynamic duo is still intact, but the front office is no longer running like a startup built on friendship—it’s operating like a corporation that needs results.
And after two seasons of disappointment, that’s probably a good thing.