The New York Giants have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with general manager Joe Schoen, the team announced Thursday.
The news comes about a month after the 2026 NFL Draft, which marked the end of a sort of “trial period” for Schoen with new coach John Harbaugh, who was hired this offseason. Harbaugh’s hire represented a huge shift in how the Giants operated. Historically, the Giants have been general manager-centric, with coaches reporting to GMs who then report to ownership. But in his negotiations with New York, Harbaugh needed it in writing that he would report to owner John Mara, and not to Schoen.
Harbaugh spent the last 18 seasons in Baltimore, building a consistent winner that has only missed the playoffs twice in the last eight seasons. Since the Super Bowl-winning coach was hired in New York, he and Schoen have navigated filling out the coaching staff, free agency and the draft. It’s the first time they’ve worked together, having no pre-existing relationship before the hire.
“Joe and I have been working together every single day, I mean, hours on end, whether it’s planning or organizing or just talking about players or watching tape again over and over again on these guys,” Harbaugh said when asked about how the operation has gone since they started. “I feel like it’s gone very well.”
But the lead-up to the draft was marred by Dexter Lawrence’s trade request, which resulted in the All-Pro DT being sent to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick. The New York Post reported that Lawrence’s agent, Joel Segal, didn’t want to deal with Schoen, so others had to get involved. Ultimately, the trade saved the Giants from entering an extended standoff with Lawrence, and the increased draft capital led to the Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa selections. Harbaugh called it “a win for everybody.”
Before Harbaugh was brought in, the Giants’ 2025 season featured massive upheaval. The franchise not only parted ways with Brian Daboll midseason and made Mike Kafka the interim head coach, but it also fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen in late November before axing assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox as well.
The Giants retained Schoen after a 4-13 season, planning for him to lead football operations and the search for the team’s next head coach. This was the third year in a row the team lost double-digit games. So far, in Schoen’s tenure as GM, the Giants have gone 22-45-1 and reached the playoffs once.
“Continuity and stability in the front office is important to our progress,” said co-owner John Mara and former co-owner Steve Tisch in a statement in January. “We believe in our young core of talent, which we can build around for future success.”
Schoen was hired away from the Buffalo Bills (where he was the assistant general manager) in January 2022 and promptly brought Daboll, the team’s offensive coordinator, with him. Their first season saw the Giants finish 9-7-1 and reach the playoffs for the first time in six years. The team won its wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings to notch its first playoff win since 2011 before being eliminated in the divisional round by the Eagles.
That offseason, the team gave quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million extension and used the franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley. Neither decision ended up working out. Over the next two seasons, Jones would play in just 16 games, suffer a torn right ACL and compile a 3-13 record as the starter before being released before Thanksgiving in 2024.
Following a 6-11 season in 2023, Schoen allowed Barkley to test free agency and ultimately did not stop the star from departing. Months after the decision, “Hard Knocks” offered a behind-the-scenes look at how the free agency drama played out. Mara told Schoen, “I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia. … As I’ve told you, just being around enough players, he’s the most popular player we have, by far.”
Barkley subsequently won a Super Bowl with the Eagles during an MVP-caliber season. Safety Xavier McKinney departed in free agency during that same offseason, finishing second in the league with eight interceptions and earning All-Pro honors in his first year with the Green Bay Packers. Other players, such as Julian Love and Leonard Williams, have thrived since leaving the Giants — Love and Williams won a Super Bowl in Seattle this year.
It should be pointed out that Schoen’s track record isn’t only filled with misses. His trade for Brian Burns ahead of the 2024 season looks like a win, with the pass rusher compiling an NFC-best 16.5 sacks amid the dismal 2025 season. His first-round pick in 2024, wide receiver Malik Nabers, has played like a superstar when healthy.
Schoen also deserves some credit for trading back into the first round (No. 25) in 2025 to pick Jaxson Dart, who looks like he could become a franchise cornerstone. Schoen’s other first-rounder in 2025, linebacker Abdul Carter, looks poised to become an impact player. Carter finished the season with 67 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus — 10 more than Burns. Schoen also snagged running back Cam Skattebo in the fourth round. The rookie was taking the league by storm before he suffered a season-ending injury in October.