Early in the Giants’ John Harbaugh courtship, a rumor suggested the high-profile HC free agent would not have an issue working with GM Joe Schoen. The Giants are planning to retain Schoen, but the embattled exec’s status may be a factor in Harbaugh’s deal not being done yet.
As of Friday afternoon, the deal is not done. The sides were working on contract language this morning, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds money is not believed to be an issue. Harbaugh is expected to receive a deal in the $20MM-per-year range, which will place him among the NFL’s highest-paid HCs.
But an issue may be forming with regard to organizational power. Rumblings have emerged Schoen’s role in the Giants’ new setup has been a partial cause of this delay, according to the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard. Harbaugh, 63, was believed to have a Titans offer in place. He also appeared to be the Falcons’ top choice, and the Browns wanted to meet with him. This created considerable leverage, and it should translate to the 18-year HC veteran having at least some personnel say.
Schoen certainly is not in a position to win a power struggle here, but he is believed to have spoken with Harbaugh many times since his Ravens firing. That would point to the four-year Giants GM being in the team’s Harbaugh-era plan, but Leonard adds several sources informed him Harbaugh would likely want Schoen gone or at least see the GM’s power reduced. This could lead to a setup with Harbaugh carrying final personnel say, should he want it.
The Giants are prepared to give Harbaugh a monster deal to succeed Brian Daboll, who had come over from Buffalo with Schoen. It would be odd for Giants ownership, who needed to confirm Schoen was merely keeping his job for 2025, to back a GM who has yet to produce a 10-win season. There are likely more factors at play here, but Schoen’s role being one of them is interesting.
Any Harbaugh proposed changes to Schoen-overseen departments were expected to “create discomfort” during the process, per Leonard. Schoen’s modernization of the Giants’ operation was believed to be a selling point for the team, which kept him after firing Daboll in November. Potential moves to remove staffers with ties to ownership, with the potential for Harbaugh to bring in some of his own people, also loom as an issue.
We have seen new coaching hires lead to GM changes recently. The Jaguars booted Trent Baalke because his presence running their HC search was impeding a chance to hire strong candidates, and Liam Coen signed on shortly after that firing. In 2019, the Jets fired Mike Maccagnan after his first draft with new HC hire Adam Gase. In 2017, the Bills made the same move with Doug Whaley, ousting him months after hiring Sean McDermott. Eventually, GMs handpicked by the coaches — Joe Douglas, Brandon Beane — arrived in those AFC East cities post-draft.
Schoen said he did not envision his presence hurting the Giants’ GM search, and Harbaugh making New York his first visit pointed to a future working with Schoen. But this process dragging on has certainly become interesting. Considering the role Schoen has played in the Harbaugh search, it would surprise if the Giants traveled down this road. But this will be a situation to monitor as the team continues work on hammering out the expected HC’s contract.