John Harbaugh Makes Thoughts on Giants GM Joe Schoen Extremely Clear

The New York Giants are looking to take a big step forward in 2026 after laboring through another rough season in 2025. The team’s decision to hire John Harbaugh as its new head coach should help, though, as there are several young pieces that the Giants can build around moving forward.

While New York decided to fire Brian Daboll midway through last season and hire a new head coach, it curiously opted to hold onto general manager Joe Schoen. Some folks wondered if that would hurt the team’s head coach search, but they ultimately landed the top available candidate. And according to Harbaugh, it sounds like his relationship with Schoen has already gotten off to a strong start.

John Harbaugh Excited About Budding Relationship with Joe Schoen

The Giants hired both Daboll and Schoen back in 2022, and while things got off to a strong start with them in charge, the good times didn’t last very long. It seemed like there was a decent chance both guys would get fired amid New York’s latest rough season, but instead, the team held onto Schoen and fired only Daboll.

Schoen’s stint in charge of the team’s front office has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride. He made a horrific mistake when choosing to invest in Daniel Jones instead of Saquon Barkley, but several of his recent draft picks appear to be budding stars. With a young core of guys, such as Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, Abdul Carter, and Cam Skattebo leading the way, there are quite a few reasons for optimism in New York.

There’s a decent chance that those guys helped Schoen maintain his job for the time being. With Harbaugh coming to town, though, it’s clear his role will be a little bit different moving forward. And while there were concerns that these two guys may butt heads early on, according to Harbaugh, it sounds like things have gotten off to a great start.

“I had high expectations for Joe, and I would say he’s lived up to those high expectations,” Harbaugh said of Schoen, per Ian O’Connor of The Athletic. “We’ve worked really well together. We talk multiple, multiple times every day … and a lot of things come up. ‘We hired an analyst, so what are we paying him? What did the Raiders or Eagles say when we asked for permission to speak to someone?’ Joe’s been a smart judge of tactics and situations.”

Giants Have High Hopes for John Harbaugh, Joe Schoen

GettyJoe Schoen, general manager of the New York Giants

It’s important for a team’s head coach and general manager to be working in lockstep, or else the head coach will end up with players on his roster that he doesn’t want. Working with Schoen was part of the job that Harbaugh signed up for, and while that could have scared some candidates off, he clearly felt good about teaming up with the Giants’ general manager.

Harbaugh has since begun filling out his coaching staff, but his first real test when it comes to his partnership with Schoen will come when free agency rolls around. Both of these guys are going to have to be united in their vision when it comes to building up New York’s roster, and their ability to do so could ultimately determine just how much success this team enjoys in 2026.

Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is a Breaking News Writer at Heavy. In addition to writing for Heavy, Owen works as a Content Producer for More Views Media. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli