It’s the dawn of a new era in the Big Apple, as John Harbaugh was hired to lead the New York Giants, and general manager Joe Schoen commented on the dynamic in the team with the new head coach. While Harbaugh brings 18 years of experience to his new role, Schoen has nearly a decade of general manager experience and has gotten to know the franchise’s inner workings over the last four years.
That said, what did Schoen say about how roster decisions will be handled?
Joe Schoen Vows Collaboration with John Harbaugh on Giants Roster
The dynamic between a head coach and GM can make or break a playoff push. Their roster visions have to align philosophically for the right players to be signed and re-signed to fit the team’s schemes.
Both Schoen and Harbaugh have seen their share of successes when it comes to roster building, and now they’ll join forces to take the Giants to new heights.
Schoen was asked in a press conference this week about who’ll be running point on roster decisions. While he’s the GM, Harbaugh’s nearly two decades of experience provide him with valuable insight on the matter.
“I’m still the general manager of the team, and my role has not changed,” he said in the presser. “I’m still tasked with leading the entire football operation, and we’re gonna work in collaboration like most good teams do — everybody’s gonna have their role. But there’s constant communication between Dawn [Aponte], Coach Harbaugh, myself in terms of how we’re gonna build the football operation and how we’re gonna execute.”
With a second-year quarterback in Jaxson Dart at the wheel, it’s imperative that Schoen and Harbaugh cooperate effectively to add the necessary pieces to the offense for Dart to succeed. Offseason tools like the draft, trades, and free agency must be utilized constructively for New York to be successful this upcoming campaign.
“You know, the draft, the trades, free agency, contract signings, coaching staff — whatever it may be, we’re gonna work in collaboration together,” Schoen added. “We’re aligned in that, and it’s been going really good so far.”
The Giants saw a poor 4-13 season in 2025 under Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka (70.7 PFSN Offense Impact). Daboll was fired at 2-8, and Kafka finished 2-5 as the interim head coach.
Now under the new direction of a Super Bowl-winning head coach, the sky is the limit in New York, and it’ll be interesting to see how successful Harbaugh will be in the Big Apple.
