After what felt like an endless nightmare, Dave Gettleman’s tenure as the Vice President and General Manager of the New York Giants is over. Along with the end of the Gettleman era, Giants Head Coach Joe Judge has also been relieved of his duties. Finally, after four years of pain during Dave Gettleman’s 19-46, it’s starting to seem like there is a little bit of hope for the Giants due to the very impressive list of GM candidates that have been assembled so far.
The Giants have requested to interview 9 candidates with no prior ties to the franchise, a stark contrast to the 2017 GM search, which only contained one outside candidate: ESPN personality Louis Riddick.
Here’s a quick look at the 9 current GM candidates:
Joe Schoen – 43
Schoen is the current Asst. GM of the Buffalo Bills and was hired from the Dolphins, where he served as the director of player personnel from 2014-2017 after being internally promoted from being a college scout from 2009-2014. Schoen spent his first NFL years as a ticketing intern for the Panthers and later served as a scouting assistant until Miami hired him.
Schoen has just completed his first interview with the Giants; Co-owner Steve Tisch attended the meeting along with John and Chris Mara. The Giants are very intrigued by Schoen, and he seems to be the leading candidate as of now, partially due to his endorsement by former Coach Bill Parcells. Expect to hear his name come up often throughout this process, as the Vikings and Bears have also requested interviews.
Per uSTADIUM, Joe Schoen “crushed” his interview with the Giants.
Ryan Poles – 36
Poles took a job with the Cheifs back in 2009 and has been with the organization for the last 13 years, starting as a scouting assistant and working his way up to Director of Player Personnel.
The former college offensive lineman plays a key role in KC’s drafting strategy, serving as General Manager Brett Veach’s right-hand man in the war room. Poles was also involved in the rapid reconfiguration of the Cheifs O-Line following last year’s disastrous Super Bowl performance. Poles is especially attractive for a Giants organization that has been starving for good offensive line play and for a quarterback in Daniel Jones, who has been pressured practically as much as anyone in the NFL through his first three years.
Monti Ossenfort – 43
Currently, the Director of Player Personnel for the Titans since 2020, Monti Ossenfort has spent 16 years working his way through various scouting departments of the Patriots organization. According to Joe Rexrode, Ossenfort’s specialty lies in scouting college players, but he also manages the ready lists for the Titans.
Ossenfort had a strong relationship with former HC Joe Judge but is still a strong candidate without that connection. He was interviewed twice for the Panthers’ job opening last year and was also interviewed by the Browns in 2020.
Ryan Cowden – 43
Ossenfort’s Titans counterpart, Cowden, is in his 22nd NFL season and his 6th with the Titans. After 16 years with the Panthers’ organization, Cowden was offered to be the Director of Player Personnel for the Titans and was promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel in 2018. Cowden oversees all aspects of the Tennessee Titans scouting department and is widely considered to be in line for a GM job in the near future.
Adam Peters – 42
The 49ers’ Assistant GM is speculated to be one of the Giants’ top choices for their GM vacancy. Peters has 18 years of NFL experience, working his way up through the Patriots (2003-2008) and the Broncos (2009-2014) before becoming the 49ers VP of Player Personnel before the 2015 season. When current 49ers GM John Lynch was hired, he had no prior FO experience and hired Peters to be his right-hand man. According to John Barrows, “Peters has run the 49ers drafts since 2017.”
Ran Carthon – 40
Carthon has taken over Peters’ former position with the 49ers as the VP of Player Personnel during the 2021 NFL season. He previously served as the 49ers Director of Pro Personnel (2017-2020), the Rams’ Director of Player Personnel (2012-2016), and cut his teeth as a pro scout for the falcons. The bears have also requested to interview Carthon.
Adrian Wilson – 42
Wilson is a former 5x Pro Bowl safety for the Arizona Cardinals and now serves as their Vice President of Pro Personnel. Previously, Wilson spent three years following his retirement from the NFL in 2015 as a scouting assistant for the Cardinals. Quickly rising through the Cardinals ranks, expect Wilson to be an active candidate during the Giants’ search.
Quentin Harris – 44
Harris, the Cardinals’ current VP of Player Personnel, was also a former Cardinals safety and has been with the front office for 14 years. According to the Cardinals, “Harris currently works alongside GM Steve Keim, managing both the college and pro personnel departments. His duties include evaluating the top college prospects nationally as well as the organization and implementation of the draft process. He oversees the pro personnel department, which includes player acquisition, evaluation, and assisting with player contract negotiations.”
Joe Hortiz – 47
Hortiz is currently in his 19th season with the Ravens’ Front Office and his 7th as the director of college scouting. Hortiz oversees all aspects of college scouting and is an especially attractive candidate due to the massive success that the Ravens have seen with their draft classes since he took over. Hortiz, who joined the organization in 1998, spent eight years as a scout for Baltimore before transitioning to a front office position.