The New York Giants have already clinched a top-10 pick in next year’s draft. They will be picking near the top of the order for the third consecutive offseason.
No matter which way it’s sliced, that is an indictment of general manager Joe Schoen.
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The Giants Have Continuously Failed Under Joe Schoen’s Leadership
The Giants are 2-12 through 14 games and have firmly established themselves as one of the worst teams in the NFL — again.
Since Schoen took over in 2022, the Giants have gone 20-43-1 (.319). They started off hot with a 9-7-1 record and a playoff appearance in 2022, but it’s all gone downhill from there. Since that season, New York has gone 11-37. They are 5-26 since the start of last season.
The Giants started the 2024 season 2-11 and the 2025 season 2-11. They set a franchise record with 10 consecutive losses during the 2024 season (Weeks 6–16), which is in danger of being reset this season, as the Giants are currently on an eight-game losing streak.
They have tied (and recently surpassed) the franchise record for consecutive road losses, with a current streak of 13 consecutive road losses (as of early December 2025).
In the 2025 season alone, the Giants have lost an NFL-record five games in which they held a double-digit lead.
The 2022 season was a flash in the pan. The Giants overachieved that season and, since then, have gotten progressively worse every year, despite picking high in each draft and spending big in each offseason.
Schoen has torn down and rebuilt the Giants’ roster. But he has built a loser. This lack of progress is inexcusable for a GM in his fourth year.
Questionable Contract and Roster Decisions
But what has caused all of this losing? A series of miscalculations and bad decisions from Schoen and his front office.
The decision to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a substantial four-year, $160 million contract extension following the 2022 season was a major mistake, as the team tied up significant salary cap space for a player whose performance quickly diminished, leading to his eventual benching and release.
Schoen allowed key players like running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney to leave in free agency, only to see them perform at high levels elsewhere (Barkley with the rival Eagles). These losses not only hurt the quality of the roster but also hurt the locker room, as Barkley, McKinney, and others, such as Leonard Williams and Julian Love, were integral leaders.
The Giants also have arguably more misses than hits in free agency. This offseason’s spending spree, in particular, has not yielded a return on investment. The signings of OT James Hudson, S Jevon Holland, and CB Paulson Adebo, and the extension of WR Darius Slayton have all underperformed and failed to meet expectations.
Now the Giants are up against the cap with a lackluster roster that can’t win games and several bloated contracts they can’t escape, plus some impending free agents they cannot afford to extend. That is the result of poor roster construction and a series of misfires in the NFL Draft.
Drafting Inconsistencies
Schoen’s draft record includes notable early picks that have not panned out, such as 2022 seventh-overall pick, offensive tackle Evan Neal, and 2023 first-round pick, cornerback Deonte Banks.
These draft misses have caused Schoen to force big free-agent signings at those positions, hurting the team’s salary cap space and highlighting the organization’s inability to develop talent.
To replace Neal, they signed Jermaine Eluemunor (who could be seeking a $40M+ contract this offseason). To replace Banks, they signed Adebo ($18M per season). To replace McKinney and offset the lack of development from second-round pick Tyler Nubin, the Giants signed Jevon Holland ($15M per season).
Missing in the draft has had a direct effect on the Giants’ approach to free agency and created a domino effect, causing them to spend more money on weak positions without solving them long-term.
As a result, the Giants’ roster lacks depth and has obvious blind spots in the starting lineup. Plus, the team is tight on cap space and likely can’t afford to extend all of its key free agents this offseason, namely, Eluemunor, CB Cor’Dale Flott, and WR Wan’Dale Robinson.
Coaching and Program Failure
The Giants retained Schoen after firing head coach Brian Daboll with the intention of him finishing out the year as the general manager and likely returning in 2026. That caused fans to call accountability into question, pointing to the lack of results from Schoen’s roster.
Ultimately, the general manager is responsible for hiring the coach and the overall direction of the football operations. Schoen’s inability to properly assess and build the right coaching staff and team culture might be his biggest failure.
There are bright spots on the roster. But the team’s overall apathy during losing streaks speaks to a larger cultural issue. The coaching staff’s constant overturn and inability to execute also speak to the football operation’s many failures.
One-half of the general manager’s job is to build a good roster. Schoen has had his hits and misses in that regard. But the other half of the job is to build a program and create a culture. That is where Schoen has seriously misfired.
The poor team record, detrimental long-term contract decisions, inconsistent drafting, and the failure to build a robust, winning roster after a multi-year rebuild are among the reasons why it’s time for the Giants to turn a new leaf.