To the dismay of many New York Giants fans, the team plans to hang onto general manager Joe Schoen as they move forward in the 2026 offseason.
Somehow, a general manager who was tied to the hip with his already fired head coach, Brian Daboll, is staying on despite a 22-45-1 team record under his guidance.
It’s not just the fact that the Giants haven’t had a winning record since his first year on the job; it’s also his personnel decisions that seem to set Big Blue back further and further each year he’s been the GM.
Deciding to extend Daniel Jones and franchise tag Saquon Barkley has always been the most brutal indictment on Schoen, but another underrated departure was highlighted by The Athletic’s Dan Duggan after said player’s comments went viral on social media.
Julian Love and Leonard Williams Celebrate Not Being on the Giants
The Seattle Seahawks, who are the No. 1 seed in the NFC and are sitting comfortably on their bye week, boast two former New York Giants players on their defense.
Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was a trade deadline addition in 2023, and safety Julian Love, a former Giants draft pick who played out his rookie deal and signed with Seattle ahead of the 2023 offseason.
Both players, after the win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18 that secured the No. 1 seed in the conference, couldn’t believe how far they had come since playing in New York, according to Seahawks reporter Gregg Bell.
GM John Schneider walked by and said to them “you’re welcome.”
The Williams trade made sense at the time, and Schoen got a decent return for the veteran defender.
But Love, a young player and homegrown talent, could’ve stuck around in New York for the long haul.
Julian Love’s Departure ‘Pound-for-Pound Worst’ Choice of Joe Schoen’s Tenure
Duggan quote-tweeted Love’s comments about his message to Williams following the Week 18 win, and provided some context to the safety’s departure from the New York Giants.
“There have been far more consequential personnel blunders, but letting Love walk has to be the pound-for-pound worst of Schoen’s tenure. Tremendous locker room presence who was blossoming as a player (and has continued to get better in Seattle),” wrote Duggan.
“Gave the Giants the chance to match the two-year, $12M deal Seattle offered. They declined. Safety room has declined significantly despite major investments since.”
The safety room has certainly not been the same ever since Love departed for the Seattle Seahawks, despite Schoen and the Giants’ best effort to patch it up.
Tyler Nubin was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and despite some flashes when on the field, he has missed games in both his rookie and sophomore seasons.
Last offseason, the Giants inked former Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland to a lucrative three-year, $45.3 million deal with New York.
Holland played well in his first season with the Giants, but considering what they could’ve been paying Love all this time, the signing just feels like Big Blue’s front office trying to rectify a past mistake.
Giants Could’ve Had Julian Love On the Cheap
Duggan’s context surrounding the Love-New York Giants divorce continued, and it painted the general manager in an even worse light.
“The Giants offered Love a contract during the bye, believe it was 3-$22.5M. He turned it down because he was expecting ~$10M/year in free agency and was a half season from hitting the market,” continued Duggan.
“The safety market cratered that offseason and the best he could get was 2-$12M from Seattle. Took that back to the Giants to match. So they could have had him for even less than they had offered initially, but they told him they had moved on. Worked out for him because he got a 3-$33M extension after his first season in Seattle.”
So, instead of having Holland on a $45 million deal, the Giants could’ve hung onto a talented young safety who had come up through their organization.
Instead, Schoen was vindictive of Love testing the free agent market, and pivoted off him altogether.
Now, Love works the backend of one of the best defenses in the entire NFL. And Schoen is somehow still making decisions for the Giants.
Giants Insider Reveals Joe Schoen’s Mistake of Seahawks’ Julian Love