NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The New York Giants have thrown in the towel on the 2024 NFL season. And that’s due in part to the decisions of GM Joe Schoen. It all began this offseason or even a year before when a line was drawn in the sand between Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Schoen decided to pay the QB and not the RB who had been holding things down for the Giants for years well before Jones arrived. However, Schoen figured he knew better, even more so than owner John Mara. Schoen wasted money which resulted in the New York Giants losing their most marketable and important piece to the team.
This season, it all came crashing down as quickly as Joe Schoen messed it up. Jones is now off the Giants. Barkley is breaking records as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and other notable ex-Giants are making waves for their new teams. His hands are all over this destruction. Joe Schoen needs to be fired.
Let Daniel Jones Walk For Nothing
Of course, this has to be on the list. Joe Scheen made an error when it came to Daniel Jones. While he didn’t draft Jones, he’s the one who overpaid for a so-so year of service. There was no way that any respectable GM would have given Jones a contract that pays him $40M per season. Jones did nothing to deserve that type of money. And to make matters worse, he overpaid a player when he should have given him a smart contract and paid the player every GM in the league would have paid and that was Saquon Barkley.
Schoen’s decision, not only come back to bite him on the ass, but it also handcuffed the Giants and their future. Jones is gone. He’s about to clear waivers and sign with a new team and yet, the Giants have nothing to show for it but dead cap. Not a single draft pick or a player was received. Why not tell Jones no? Try to come to some resolution that could wait till the season is over, that way we can trade you for anything. Doesn’t matter what it is. Schoen gave away a starter for air.
Not Fighting For Drew Lock
Now, this is a tricky one but one that still can’t go not being mentioned. This offseason, with Jones being labeled the starter, Drew Lock was brought in to be QB 2. With Jones being released, everyone figured, including Lock, that he would get the nod as the starter moving forward. However, Tommy DeVito was named the starter, now, this decision could have fallen on the shoulders of Brian Daboll but where was Schoen at? Isn’t this the guy he signed to be the insurance policy in case Jones went down or was benched?
At some point, Schoen should have interjected and made sure that Lock was the next QB up. What was the point of signing him if he wasn’t going to see the field? I get that coaches run the locker room but if letting Jones go was such a mutual decision, why not fight for Lock? This is how teams become divided. DeVito is not an NFL-caliber QB but he sells tickets. The New York Giants are tanking the season away. But a call like this is why Schoen is not a good GM.
No Respect For The Owner
Let’s take this back to Hard Knocks this offseason. While the incident has been replayed over and over, it’s worth noting that Joe Schoen did not listen to his boss. Mara, in so many words and actions, told Schoen to not let Barkley walk. Trying to be respectful of another grown man, Mara didn’t come right out and say, don’t let Barkley walk. But he did let his feelings be known about how important and valuable Barkley was not only to the New York Giants but to the fanbase as well. At that point, Schoen should have given Barkley whatever he wanted. Instead, he ignored his boss and did what he wanted to do.
When your boss says that he would feel some type of way if players signed to a certain team after expressing how important said player is, your job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. Schoen did the opposite. The mood in his office even with his fellow coaches was cringeworthy at best. He dropped the ball here and he knows this. Hell, the entire world knows this. But to go against the wishes of your boss, that took balls. And for that, he’s not someone to be trusted to build a team.
