After a thorough two-week interview process, which included nine candidates and three finalists, the New York Giants have finally pinpointed their replacement for Dave Gettleman. On January 21, the team announced the hiring of Joe Schoen as the new general manager.
“We came away from this process feeling like all nine will be a general manager in this league at some point. We just felt like Joe was the right fit at the right time for us,” Giants co-owner John Mara said in a statement, via the team’s official website.
Schoen, 42, will now head football operations in East Rutherford after an impressive five-year run in Buffalo as assistant general manager, which included back-to-back AFC East titles.
“We are pleased and proud to name Joe as our general manager,” Mara stated. “Throughout our search, Joe impressed us with his ability to communicate a progressive and comprehensive vision for our team. His philosophy and collaborative approach to building a roster and coaching staff align with what we were looking for in a general manager.”
Shoen Identifying Favorites for Head Coaching Job
Schoen, who started his NFL career as a ticket office intern for the Carolina Panthers back in 2000, was quick to give his thanks to not only Mara and chairman Steve Tisch for the new opportunity in New York, but also Bills GM Brandon Beane, who he worked alongside for the past half-decade in Buffalo.
“It is an honor to accept the position of general manager of the New York Giants,” Schoen said. “I want to thank John Mara and Steve Tisch and their families for this tremendous opportunity. And obviously, I am grateful to Brandon and the Bills for the experience I have had in Buffalo.”
Now with a general manager in place — in the words of Schoen himself — “the work begins.”
“My immediate focus is to hire a head coach, with who I will work in lockstep with to create a collaborative environment for our football operations,” he said. “We will cast a wide net, it can be former head coaches, first-time head coaches but, more importantly, it has to be a person who possesses the ability to lead an organization and the ability to motivate and develop players.”
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Sign up for the Heavy on Giants Newsletter!The 4 Potential Head Coach Names ‘to Circle’
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, two of those potential coaching candidates are believed to be Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. Per Rapoport, the two are expected to be on the shortlist to fill the void left behind by the recently fired Joe Judge.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero revealed on January 19 that the Giants put in a request to interview Quinn. As for Flores, ESPN’s Adam Shefter reported shortly after the Shoen hire that the team is “expected to seek permission” to speak with Flores.
Quinn and Flores are half of what NFL analyst Peter Schrager believes is a four-man race to be the Giants’ next head coach. The other two names he has circled are Brian Daboll and Leslie Frazier, each of whom has a clear connection to Shoen as they currently serve as Buffalo’s offensive and defensive coordinator, respectively.
The four potential HC names I would circle for new Giants GM Joe Schoen:
— Brian Daboll
— Leslie Frazier
— Brian Flores
— Dan Quinn
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Giants Finalize Deal With New GM Hire, Favorites for HC Job Revealed: Report