Joe Schoen

Perception Exists Giants’ Front Office Preferred Shedeur Sanders Over Jaxson Dart

May 20th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

After three seasons attempting to make an inherited quarterback work, the Joe Schoen–Brian Daboll regime will attempt to move their way off hot seats via the passer they drafted. Jaxson Dart is now in place after Daniel Jones did not come close to living up to his $40MM-per-year contract.

Dart-Giants connections began to emerge shortly before the draft, as Shedeur Sanders‘ freefall commenced. Coaches become involved in the process as the winter progresses, and Daboll was believed to be convicted in his belief Dart would be Big Blue’s best available option (after the Titans repeatedly rebuffed the Giants’ efforts to trade up to No. 1). Schoen has attempted to push back on the notion he gave in to his coaches’ preference.

“It was an organizational decision,” Schoen said during an appearance on Up & Adams (h/t the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy). “Any player that we take, it’s a collaborative process and it’s very detailed, and we believe in it. … Three coaches on staff (Daboll, OC Mike Kafka and QBs coach Shea Tierney) that have been part of the development of two pretty good quarterbacks in the league right now (Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen), and when they are convicted on a player and the scouting staff is convicted on a player, typically you have the best chance for success in those situations.”

Schoen told Kay Adams that Dart was on the Giants’ radar “throughout the fall,” though a post-draft report indicated the Giants did more in-person work on Sanders compared to the Ole Miss starter. Schoen is believed to have scouted just one Dart game in-person, while a previous report indicated the GM had “lived in Boulder” as Sanders hype increased. A pre-draft report also indicated the Giants were split on Sanders, potentially placing the divide between the front office and coaching staff. Enough information has come out pointing to Daboll playing the lead role in ensuring the Giants did not draft the Colorado QB.

A perception exists within personnel departments the Giants’ front office preferred Sanders, Dunleavy notes, before Daboll and his staff came to hold Dart in higher regard. The Giants spent more time with Sanders than any team spent with any prospect, Dunleavy adds. That would paint the picture of a mid-process pivot, as Dart certainly appeared to gain steam late. A pre-draft report tabbed Sanders as being the No. 2 QB on the Giants’ big board (behind Cam Ward), but that could certainly have been a smokescreen effort considering the Dart trade-up, which helped key Sanders’ freefall.

Some Daboll-Sanders friction is believed to have taken place during an install session. While Dart impressed Giants decision-makers during his install, Sanders not being as prepared became a point of contention. The Giants are, of course, not the only team to come away unimpressed with Sanders’ approach during the pre-draft process, as multiple teams took the QB off their boards.

Sanders having taken the strange step — for a player with his prospect profile, at least — of approaching team meetings like a recruit, rather than as a job interview, certainly rubbed teams the wrong way. His slide from potential top-10 pick to No. 144 represents perhaps the most notable tumble in draft history. Sanders’ actions may well have determined the Giants’ QB future; that said, pre-draft offerings also had some teams ranking Dart ahead of the two-year Colorado standout.

Daboll and Schoen have worked together since 2018, when the former arrived as the Bills’ OC. A report of tension between the two emerged earlier this offseason, and it appears Daboll’s QB pick will hold the current regime’s future in his hands.

First Round Fallout: Giants, Dart, Sanders, Steelers, Broncos, Alexander

May 18th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Rory Parks

The Giants, heavily connected to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders throughout the pre-draft process, used the No. 3 overall in last month’s draft – a pick once seemingly ticketed for Sanders – on Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. The club ultimately got the player it hopes will become its franchise passer when it struck an agreement with the Texans to trade up from No. 34 to No. 25 and select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.

A recent episode of Giants Life, which is worth a watch for any NFL fan and for Giants fans in particular, offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the trade-up with Houston materialized (video link). As New York GM Joe Schoen confirms, rival teams knew that Big Blue, after having used its first selection on a non-quarterback, was still in the market for a QB. As such, when the draft proceeded to the No. 18 pick (at which point the Seahawks were on the clock), Schoen began getting calls from other GMs looking to trade down to No. 34.

When the draft moved into the 20s, Schoen himself became proactive and began making calls to determine who was interested in trading down. As Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post observes, Schoen believed he could swing a deal with the Broncos to acquire Denver’s No. 20 overall pick, which would have allowed him to leapfrog the Steelers and their No. 21 choice. Schoen knew Pittsburgh was in need of a quarterback as well, though he had intelligence indicating the team was also looking to trade back, which suggested the Steelers were not prepared to take a signal-caller at that point.

He nonetheless considered offering the Steelers the same deal that apparently had been discussed with multiple clubs. However, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Giants were banking on the belief that Pittsburgh would select a defensive player with the No. 21 pick, thereby obviating the need to trade for No. 20 or No. 21. This is despite Schoen’s concern, as he voiced in Giants Life, that the QB-needy Browns or Saints could also move back into the first round (though he knew division rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland would not come together on a trade of that magnitude). Fowler also says New York did not want to part with its No. 65 selection, which the Texans were willing to exclude from a trade package.

Ultimately, the Giants and Texans agreed to a trade that sent the Nos. 34 and 99 picks of the 2025 draft, along with a 2026 third-rounder, to Houston in exchange for the No. 25 pick and the right to select Dart. As Schoen admitted, no one will remember the third-round picks that went to the Texans if he got the Dart pick right. Interestingly, right before Houston GM Nick Caserio called Schoen to formally accept the deal, it looks as if Schoen received a call from Rams GM Les Snead. Los Angeles originally held the No. 26 pick, one spot behind the Texans, so Schoen naturally put Snead on hold to talk to Caserio and finalize a trade. Ultimately, Snead found a taker for his No. 26 selection, which he dealt to the Falcons in exchange for a package fronted by a 2026 first-rounder.

Dunleavy highlighted the portion of Schoen’s war room conversations in which he told head coach Brian Daboll, “you guys are convicted in [Dart]. You believe in him. We did the process. He checked all the boxes. Let’s roll the dice.” That exchange leads Dunleavy to believe the Dart pick, as previously reported, was indeed driven by the coaching staff.

Earlier reports also indicated Daboll was one of the coaches who did not see eye-to-eye with Sanders, and while the Giants reportedly still would have entertained a trade-up for Sanders if Dart had been taken off the board, multiple Daboll-Dart connections formed in the run-up to the draft. It became clear that Dart was Daboll’s preferred target, and Sanders himself acknowledged that he “didn’t hit it off with Giants coaches,” according to Fowler.

The No. 65 pick that the Giants did not want to include in a trade-up maneuver was used to select Toledo defensive end Darius Alexander. Though New York had already added the high-ceiling Carter to a group that includes Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, the club further leaned into its defensive front with Alexander, whom many scouts viewed as an ascending prospect. One team source told Fowler, “when you think of the New York Giants, you think of how they are built up front.”

Giants Draft Fallout: Wilson, Dart, Daboll, Sanders, Schoen, Browns, Rams, Pack, Vikes

April 25th, 2025 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Post-draft, Brian Daboll confirmed Russell Wilson will remain the Giants‘ starter entering the season. Considering Jaxson Dart‘s profile, it should not be expected the former Ole Miss and USC passer would have a good chance to overtake Wilson before the season. But Daboll and GM Joe Schoen’s New York fates are almost definitely tethered to Dart now.

After passing on Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix last year, the Giants traded three Day 2 picks to land Dart at No. 25. They did not view any of the non-Cam Ward QBs in this class as worthy of No. 3 overall, where Abdul Carter went as expected. But the decision to go with Dart over Shedeur Sanders provided a signature sequence during this draft’s opening night.

A pre-draft report indicated the Giants were split on Sanders (as the Dart pairing gained steam), and while the QB still had support in the building going into the draft, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan indicates the Colorado prospect’s momentum cooled as the coaches became involved in the evaluation process. Rumblings of Daboll preferring Dart look to have been accurate. The Giants did more work on Sanders compared to Dart, per the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard, who indicates Schoen scouted on in-person Dart performance. Conversely, a pre-draft assessment tabbed the fourth-year Giants GM as having “lived in Boulder.”

It would appear Daboll drove the bus for Dart, as Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz offers, and teams’ reported issues with Sanders’ attitude look to have included a Giants encounter. A Daboll-Sanders pre-draft meeting did not go well, according to The Ringer’s Todd McShay (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy). A quarterback who had entered the pre-draft process as a fairly safe top-10 pick fell out of the first round, with Giants and Steelers decisions defining the second-generation NFL prospect’s night. The Steelers chose Oregon D-lineman Derrick Harmon four picks before the Giants moved back into Round 1 for Dart.

The Giants initially contacted other teams about trading up, as Duggan adds Schoen saw some of his offers to move back up rejected. We heard midway through the first round the Giants had launched their effort to move back into Round 1 — a rumored pursuit that we now know was Dart-based — but he did not see the offers gain much traction until around 22.

The Steelers passing undoubtedly intensified the Giants’ effort to land their second-favorite QB in this class (after Ward trade efforts failed). The Chargers passed to draft Omarion Hampton, but the Texans allowed the Giants to move up three spots later. It cost the team Nos. 34, 99 and a 2026 third-round pick. The Giants held a second third-rounder this year, helping move the trade across the goal line.

Green Bay and Minnesota turned down trade offers for the Nos. 23 and 24 overall picks, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman and the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. It is safe to assume Schoen made calls to both NFC North teams, as he was leery of another QB-needy club swooping in. The Browns, Saints and Rams had been connected to making a move at this juncture of the draft, while the Steelers’ need remained after their Harmon pick.

Several teams made the Packers offers, Brian Gutekunst said. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said talks intensified shortly before his team’s No. 24 pick. In addition to the QB-needy lot, the Falcons were angling to move up for edge rusher James Pearce Jr., which they did (via the Rams) at No. 26. That move cost a first-round pick, while the Giants escaped without needing to part with their 2026 first.

New York’s move came in part because of a fear the Browns were eyeing Dart, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. Other teams shared this view, even though a draft-day report connected the Steelers, Rams and Saints to Dart. Though, the Browns were able to keep their Travis Hunter negotiations with the Jaguars quiet for weeks; they look to have done the same with Dart. Holding the top pick in Round 2 and a second selection three spots later (thanks to the Hunter swap), Cleveland now has its choice of the remaining QBs. The team could have put together an enticing package to move up, but it stood down. The Giants just made sure the AFC North club could not choose Dart. The Rams were not a factor for Dart, per Raanan and SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Although the Giants were still meeting on QBs this week, per Schoen, Leonard adds Daboll and Dart had begun texting daily after the Giants sent a sizable contingent to Ole Miss’ mid-March pro day. That communication understandably cooled before the draft, leaving Dart in the dark, but he will be asked to do what Daniel Jones could not. (That said, Jones was still a six-year Giants starter.) His tenure, however, moved Daboll and Schoen to the hot seat. Considering Jones was a Dave Gettleman pick, it had always seemed logical — despite the Wilson and Jameis Winston signings — this regime would tab its QB in this draft.

The Giants will aim to give Dart a full-season redshirt, Duggan adds. A previous plan did not get off the ground, as Jones replaced Eli Manning in Week 2 of his rookie season. Wilson’s post-Seattle play also may not be enough to hold off Dart, but the RPO-based college passer will almost definitely require some in-season acclimation time. Calls for the rookie will likely be loud, especially as the Giants’ schedule includes eight games against the NFC North and AFC West — not to mention the four against the teams that played for the NFC title last season.

The Schoen-Daboll regime also stands to be eager to sink or swim with a quarterback it drafted, rather than allow Wilson to steer the ship too far off course while John Mara evaluates the current power structure’s future. Going into training camp, however, Wilson will have a firm grip on the job. This will be new territory for the potential Hall of Famer, however, as he has not needed to fend off a highly drafted rookie previously.

Giants Still Trying To Trade Up To No. 1; Shedeur Sanders QB2 On Team’s Board?

April 24th, 2025 at 2:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans are already believed to have rebuffed multiple Giants offers. A year after a failed Drake Maye trade pursuit — as the Patriots rejected Giants and Vikings proposals for No. 3 overall — New York appears shut out of the Cam Ward draft slot. Drew Lock‘s shootout win over the Colts in Week 17 set this chain of events in motion, bumping the Titans to No. 1 overall.

Although Tennessee has stood firm on No. 1, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz notes the Giants are expected to make a final push for the pick. This would undoubtedly require a better offer. Thus far, all that has come out indicates a Giants third-round pick is part of the team’s trade package. Tennessee’s Ward interest would certainly require far more than that, and upping the price on a New York team carrying two hot-seated power brokers makes sense for a Titans team with leverage.

The Titans are not expected to go for any offer at this point, being sold on Ward as the player who can turn the team around. The Giants, then, are viewed as likely to have Abdul Carter ticketed for the Big Apple. The Browns (or another team) will have Travis Hunter to add. Positional needs would naturally make the Giants favor Hunter over Carter, but they are believed to view the Penn State linebacker-turned-EDGE as a prospect talented enough to table their QB need to later in the draft. On that note, the Giants have begun charting a potential path back into Round 1 for a passer, joining the Browns and Saints in this mix.

Brian Daboll-Jaxson Dart connections have emerged over the past several days, but Schwartz adds a notable update to the team’s QB hierarchy. Shedeur Sanders is the No. 2 QB on the team’s big board. While we are amid a leaguewide smokescreen avalanche, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler writes that an outside chance exists the Giants take Sanders at No. 3 to check off a box that has defined the Daboll-Joe Schoen regime’s tenure. Though, that is not the expectation for tonight, as Sanders is in danger of falling out of the first round.

The Giants have plenty of familiarity with Sanders. They spoke with the Colorado prospect at the Combine, hosted him on a “30” visit, dined with him before Colorado’s pro day and worked him out in Boulder last week. Darius Slayton‘s sister, Maleika, also serves as Colorado’s director of on-campus recruiting. The team, however, is believed to be split on Sanders after this eventful evaluation.

It should be considered likely he and Dart are the Nos. 2 and 3 options on Big Blue’s board, as the Post’s Ryan Dunleavy views Jalen Milroe as being a lower-ranked player for the team. With multiple Daboll-Dart connections surfacing, the rumor of a Daboll-Schoen schism is again relevant. Schwartz indicates the two decision-makers are aligned. Giants fans had better hope this is the case, as this is a pivotal draft after the team’s Daniel Jones journey lasted six years without much payoff.

Jones came to New York a year after the team chose Saquon Barkley over the likes of Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. It was believed at the time the Giants did not have a consensus on a QB in 2018. Pat Shurmur was believed to be higher on Allen, while Darnold support existed as well. John Mara was also believed to be an Allen fan at the time, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. While revisionist-history alarm bells may be sounding here — as has been the case with other teams re: Patrick Mahomes‘ 2017 draft journey — Mara being high on the eventual Bills icon at the time and seeing his GM draft Barkley may prove relevant now that his franchise needs a quarterback again.

Mara did not fire his GM and HC, despite a 3-14 season, shouldering some of the blame for Jones’ continued employment. With Schoen and Daboll in-season firing candidates, Mara making an ownership call for a quarterback at No. 3 — or at any point during the early rounds — would be a seismic development, one that would point to little confidence remaining in his current power structure.

The Giants, however, view Carter as a player who would supplement Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Packages featuring the trio would be deployed, as Schwartz adds the Giants were intrigued by the ex-Nittany Lion off-ball linebacker’s versatility. Having seen another ex-Penn State pass rusher morph from ILB to dominant edge rusher (Micah Parsons) does not hurt. Barring something unexpected, another sequence in which the Giants strengthen a strength on the edge, reminding of the Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul picks, is on tap. What happens next will prove more interesting, as a glaring QB need would remain.

Giants Could Aim To Land Both Colorado Stars

April 9th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Ely Allen

APRIL 9: Echoing the notion that Carter or Hunter are the team’s likely targets at No. 3, Fowler’s colleague Jordan Raanan reports some see the Giants as not being high on Sanders. If that were to be the case, a quarterback move later in the draft would certainly still be in play, but a package deal of Hunter and Sanders would not be feasible. How New York evaluates the Colorado passer over the coming days will be critical in informing the team’s draft approach.

APRIL 8: For a while, it seemed like there was an obvious path for Colorado quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders to land with the Giants. Some later acquisitions made it seem likely that New York would go elsewhere in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a recent mock draft by Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York suggested that there’s still a less obvious path that could see Sanders end up with Big Blue.

Initially, it was thought that the Giants would be considering drafting Sanders with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. A few things have changed that thinking. First, while quarterback was certainly seen as an area in need of improvement initially, the Giants have since added two veterans with starting potential in Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson. Adding two veteran passers doesn’t solve the team’s long-term future at quarterback, but it did make it to where there’s no obligation to address the position in this year’s draft, perhaps delaying to a class with more than one first-round worthy player at the position.

Second, Sanders’ draft stock has not exactly been on the rise in recent weeks. Whether a result of one-on-one interviews or his workouts, some teams seem to have fallen out of love with him. As a result, Sanders has seemed to be in danger of sliding down the draft board and, at times, out of the first round altogether.

The third thing to change the potential outcome is the increasingly certain outlook of the Titans’ No. 1 overall pick. While not Sharpied in, there’s growing certainty around the league that Miami quarterback Cam Ward is headed to Tennessee. That leaves the draft’s top two prospects — Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter — available for Cleveland to decide between, assuming they’re also out on Sanders.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler asserted recently that with the acquisitions of Winston and Wilson lessening the need for a passer, it’s the belief of most teams in the top 10 picks of the draft that the Giants will choose whoever remains out of Carter and Hunter after the Titans and Browns make their picks. He doesn’t abandon quarterback as an option but claims they may defer that position to Days 2 or 3.

Hughes’ mock draft agrees on one hand, showing New York selecting Hunter after Ward and Carter go 1 & 2. Where it disagrees with Fowler’s sentiment comes six picks later, where Hughes doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Giants trading back into the first round to draft Sanders alongside his teammate at No. 9 overall. As Hughes explains, New York has plenty of picks to give up in order to move up; they have two thirds this year and their full cache of picks in 2026.

It would be a bold move for general manager Joe Schoen and company, likely spending a lot of draft capital in order to take the Buffaloes teammates in the top 10, but perhaps a bold move is exactly what is needed in New York. It was news when Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll kept their jobs after Black Monday, so making bold moves to setup up the future of the team may be the all-in action necessary for Schoen to stick around past 2025.

Growing Tension Between Giants’ Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll?

April 4th, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have been working together since 2018, when the latter arrived as Bills OC to start the Josh Allen era. The quarterback’s rise placed both in position to work in leadership roles, and the Giants signed off on bringing the pair in to steer a rebuild. The Giants’ own QB plan has played the lead role in that rebuild not taking off.

Daniel Jones did not play well before a 2023 ACL tear doomed that Giants season, and the since-departed QB did not move back on track in 2024. That called into question the Giants’ decision to pass on three QBs (Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix) at No. 6 overall last year. Now, the team is amid another deep dive into a QB class — this one a lower-regarded contingent compared to 2024. How the Giants come out of this draft may play the biggest role in determining how much longer John Mara sticks with his current regime.

Mara joined Jimmy Haslam in retaining both his team’s power brokers after a 3-14 season, but the Giants have trended downward since their surprising 2022 divisional-round appearance. That run his propping up a regime that has been unable to remotely approach that success level since. Entering Year 4, the Schoen-Daboll partnership may be seeing cracks emerge. Months after the HC and GM conducted separate press conferences — breaking from recent norms — on Black Monday, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard notes the two have veered closer to working as “separate entities.”

HC-GM disputes are commonplace in the NFL, especially among struggling teams, but if the Giants are not currently aligned, fingers could point back at Mara for retaining this partnership when a momentous decision awaits. The Giants mistakenly gave Jones six seasons, despite most of that tenure producing unremarkable returns, and are still attempting to recover from choosing the wrong Eli Manning successor. This offseason represents the Schoen-Daboll pair’s first chance to identify its own QB, but so far, a Russell Wilson–Jameis Winston duo headlines the depth chart. Giants will-they/won’t-they rumors regarding Shedeur Sanders are swirling, but the Colorado passer’s value may not align with the No. 3 overall draft slot.

Both Schoen and Daboll are at Colorado’s pro day today, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. This represents a course change for Daboll, who did not attend Miami’s pro day. Schoen said the fourth-year HC prefers to study QBs at private workouts, but after Leonard noted Daboll was not scheduled to trek to Boulder, his showing up — along with the GM, assistant GM Brandon Brown, OC Mike Kafka, DC Shane Bowen and player personnel director Tim McDonnell — is certainly notable. A seminal Sanders-or-Travis Hunter decision may await Big Blue at No. 3, provided the Browns pick Abdul Carter at 2. The Giants are not working out Sanders in Boulder, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz adds, noting one could be scheduled before the mid-April deadline.

A scenario in which Schoen and Daboll take a best-player-available route, by choosing Hunter or Carter, over Sanders is logical after Mara left two embattled decision-makers in charge. A job-preservation play would stand to be strongly considered, potentially forcing ownership to intervene.

Mara’s decision to retain both, rather than make another quick-trigger firing, did not appear to satisfy all in the team’s building. Some hope existed at the front office and personnel levels, per Leonard, Mara would move on from Daboll after last season. We heard late last season Schoen and Daboll were not a package deal, and the owner has traditionally been more patient with GMs than HCs.

The 2022 Coach of the Year took over play-calling duties last season, despite Kafka serving in that role for most of his first two years on the job, but Mara suggested his HC give the play sheet back to Kafka in January. Some uncertainty about whether Mara or Daboll suggested it emerged, thanks to Daboll’s comments. Schoen has not done well in the draft since taking over, seeing early-round picks Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu, Wan’Dale Robinson, Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz and Jalin Hyatt have not offered solutions just yet. But ownership, in Leonard’s view, appeared to place more of the blame on the Giants’ coaching.

Daboll and Schoen’s separate pressers in January caught considerable attention from those inside and outside the building, Leonard adds, and this will be a storyline to monitor this offseason. Both decision-makers will be candidates for in-season firings should the Giants not show early-season signs of life.

2025 QB Draft Race Muddled Behind Ward

March 18th, 2025 at 11:07pm CST by Ely Allen

As the pre-draft process has worn on, some things have become extremely clear while others have become increasingly muddled. After some early competition from Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward has easily established himself as the top passing option in this year’s draft class, and the closer we get to the draft, the clearer that appears to be. What has become muddled is Sanders’ positioning up top with Ward.

Sanders has been experiencing a drop in draft stock following a series of reportedly poor interviews during the NFL Scouting Combine, per Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic. While Sanders still has the experience and talent to be a high draft pick, some have wondered if he could slide out of the first round entirely. Even More have posited that another quarterback may end up surpassing him as QB2 on most draft boards.

Per Jeff Howe, also of The Athletic, Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss has continuously forced himself into the picture. Dart first established himself as a potential first-rounder with an impressive week at the Senior Bowl. As talk continued at the combine, two teams expressed that they strongly believed Dart would get taken in the top half of the first round.

Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports noted that Louisville’s Tyler Shough is another passer who’s drawn rave reviews during the pre-draft process. Shough has a strong, quick arm and found a way to deliver a 4.64-second 40-yard dash despite a massive 6-foot-5 frame. Though we’re still a ways away from the start of the draft, one personnel director claimed that Shough may have done enough to work his way up into QB3 talk and a potential first-round grade.

While Sanders, Dart, and Shough battle it out for second place, the overwhelming sentiment coming out of the combine was that there is a wide gap between Ward and QB2, which begs the question of which team up top will make a move to draft him. Of course, the Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick, but the Giants have been linked to a possible trade up for that pick.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen was publicly linked to Sanders early and often throughout the college football season, but The Athletic’s Dan Duggan points out that, despite little coverage, Schoen attended three Miami games (one more than Colorado) and went to a Hurricanes practice before the team’s bowl game. The general consensus was that Ward left quite an impression on Schoen and is likely sitting atop the team’s quarterback rankings.

The Raiders are another team rumored to be in the running for Ward and Sanders, and some thought that may have changed with the team’s acquisition of veteran starter Geno Smith. Well, we know that Las Vegas is still very much considered to be in play for a first-round quarterback, but their approach to doing so may have changed. If you’re to buy the predictions of Tafur and Reed above, the Raiders may even trade back with confidence that they could still land Sanders in the middle of the first round.

One team that was recently rumored to be in the hunt for a rookie quarterback, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, is the Cowboys. It seems hard to believe that, with Dak Prescott recently getting his extension, Dallas would spend a quality draft pick on a passer — a sentiment echoed by Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS — but Rapoport, nonetheless, believes that with the loss of key backup Cooper Rush to Baltimore, the team could pick a quarterback in the second or third round.

How early Dallas takes a stab at the quarterback position could very well depend on how quickly Ward, Sanders, Dart, and, potentially, Shough come off the board. If the Sanders, Dart, and Shough all slide a bit, the Cowboys could be tempted to use an earlier pick to secure a rookie backup with a higher ceiling. If Sanders, Dart, and Shough all come off the board fairly early on Day 1, Dallas may be content to wait a bit and select one of the project passers of the draft.

If the latter occurs, there are plenty of options, including Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Ohio State’s Will Howard. While all these quarterbacks are held in varying esteems across the league, each team seemingly has a project passer in mind. For instance, Milroe spent today with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan, and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth ahead of tomorrow’s pro day, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

One thing remains clear: Ward is QB1 and a potential No. 1 overall pick. Behind that, pundits and analysts are muddy on who stands as QBs 2-4, where a team like Dallas could choose a passer, and which teams have which quarterbacks on their radar as potential project picks. We have lots to learn in the next month and a half about the options surrounding the 2025 quarterback draft class.

Giants Notes: Daboll, Schoen, Tisch, Barkley, Banks, Eluemunor, Nunez-Roches

February 5th, 2025 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Giants decided to retain Brian Daboll after a 3-14 season, multiple players expressed surprise, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes. This was not the only instance of a team retaining a coach after a 3-14 campaign this offseason, as the Browns and Titans joined Big Blue here, but New York’s operation had trended downward from 2022 — even though that initial Daboll-Joe Schoen season came as a surprise.

Schoen’s decision to let Saquon Barkley walk turned out to backfire, and the NFL may have a difficult time presenting a viable HBO offseason project after how much the Giants’ offering made the Schoen regime look. While a disastrous 2024 did not cost Schoen his job, players viewed his decision not to submit Barkley an offer doubled as an underestimation of the running back’s value on the field and in the locker room, per Raanan.

Barkley, who had said numerous times he wanted to finish his career a Giant, rampaged for the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history and would likely have broken Eric Dickerson‘s single-season record had the Eagles allowed him to play in Week 18. Barkley already delivered a strong revenge performance earlier in the season, and he joined fellow Giants defector Xavier McKinney on the All-Pro first team.

John Mara did not ultimately hold Schoen prioritizing Daniel Jones over Barkley as a fireable offense, as the owner played a key role in that 2023 pecking order forming. Still, as a result of the 2024 offseason decisions and the terrible season that followed, Schoen and Daboll will be candidates for in-season firings if the 2025 slate does not start off better. Distrust emerged in Daboll’s program as well, multiple players told Raanan, though it does not sound as though the fourth-year HC lost the team. He will face a difficult task in completing a rebound, as the Giants do not have a starter-level quarterback rostered just yet.

The team did attempt to fix a cornerback issue in 2023, drafting Deonte Banks in Round 1. That has not worked out just yet, with the Maryland product being benched for his effort level during a midseason game. Several players indicated Banks’ benching against the Steelers was “a long time coming,” which points to the former top pick being a lingering issue — at least leading up to that point. Pro Football Focus ranked Banks outside the top 100 among CB regulars this past season, and neither second-round center John Michael Schmitz nor third-rounder Jalin Hyatt has impressed from Schoen’s 2023 class.

Still, Schoen will hold the keys going into a 2025 draft that may well send a first-round quarterback to New York. When Schoen and Daboll met with ownership regarding their futures last month, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the pair only met with Mara, who then spoke with co-owner Steve Tisch separately. Tisch is not in the team’s facility daily, with Duggan classifying the descriptor “silent partner” as applicable for the 20th-year owner, who has outside business interests. Tisch has not spoken in public about the Giants since 2020.

One of the lead drivers for this Giants season unraveling came when Andrew Thomas suffered his latest injury, a Lisfranc issue that required surgery. The Giants went through multiple plans to replace Thomas, ultimately moving right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to the left side and bringing Evan Neal off the bench to reprise his RT role. Eluemunor, who had begun offseason work at guard before sliding to RT during training camp, was not a fan of the LT shift, per Duggan, as he has wanted to showcase himself as a reliable right tackle.

A three-year RT starter in Las Vegas, Eluemunor preferred a two-year deal — as opposed to a three-year pact — in an effort to cash in once again in free agency. The nomadic blocker not becoming a steady starter until 2021 did not produce even a midlevel free agency deal until the Giants offered a two-year, $14MM accord. Eluemunor appears to be aiming at another RT season making him a viable option on the 2026 market.

The Giants have several issues to address during this year’s free agency, and they will likely turn to some in-house players to create cap space. One appears to be Rakeem Nunez-Roches, whom Duggan labels a cap casualty candidate. Nunez-Roches operated as a spot starter in 2023, playing behind since-departed D-linemen Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson. A 10-year veteran, Nunez-Roches started all 15 games he played in 2024. The Giants could save $3.6MM by moving on.

Giants To Retain Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen

January 6th, 2025 at 10:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the build-up to ‘Black Monday,’ the Colts and Dolphins issued statements confirming they will not make head coaching or general manager changes. The Giants have joined them in that respect.

“Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will continue in their respective roles with the organization,” owner John Mara said in a statement (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “As disappointing as the results of the season have been, [co-owner] [Steve] Tisch and I remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for our team.”

As a result, Daboll will continue as head coach with Schoen still entrusted to handle general manager duties. Both have been in place since 2022, but the Giants’ rebuild has not gone according to plan. Daboll in particular helped his stock during his debut season in New York by helping lead the team to the divisional round of the playoffs. He earned Coach of the Year honors in light of the Giants’ surprising success, but it was clear transitioning to a new core would remain a multi-year process. The past two seasons have not seen the progress ownership was seeking, however.

A 6-11 run last campaign fell short of expectations, but ahead of the 2024 season Mara said a playoff berth was not required for it to be considered a success. In spite of that, the Giants’ struggles led to speculation at least one of Daboll or Schoen could be let go during the year. Mara offered a vote of confidence in October, although many around the league still figured changes could be coming at least once the season was offer. Mara made it clear the two former Bills staffers would be evaluated separately, and it would have come as no surprise if a few days took place before a decision was made. Instead, the team has quickly endorsed its in-house options.

Daboll, 49, was one of the top candidates in the 2022 hiring cycle based on his work with the Bills as offensive coordinator. He and OC Mike Kafka have both handled play-calling duties over recent years, and the latter’s job status has been a talking point amidst the uncertainty surrounding New York’s staff. Daboll called plays in 2024, and it will be interesting to see if Kafka is retained (and what his role will be if so) for next year.

Schoen’s tenure has been defined in no small part by the four-year, $160MM extension given to quarterback Daniel Jones in 2023. That deal paved the way for Saquon Barkley‘s franchise tag season last year and his eventual departure, something which drew the ire of Mara. That is especially the case since Jones is no longer with the team. Finding a new quarterback will be priority No. 1 this offseason, and Mara cited the play of the 2024 rookie class as a reason to continue relying on Schoen to add to the teams’ nucleus.

Mara did add (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post), to little surprise, that his patience has nearly run out. While the term on Daboll and Schoen’s deals runs past 2025, their futures are certainly not assured over the long term. A major step forward next season will be expected; failing that, changes on the sidelines or in the front office will again be a distinct possibility.

Giants’ GM Joe Schoen, HC Brian Daboll Not A “Package Deal”; Team Inclined To Retain Both?

January 5th, 2025 at 10:18am CST by Rory Parks

JANUARY 5, 2025: In keeping with the reports that Schoen and Daboll are not a “package deal,” FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz says that the Giants have put out exploratory feelers to see what options might be available to them if they keep one but fire the other. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that both men will be retained, and sources that Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports has spoken to also believe that Schoen will keep his job. Those sources likewise feel it is more likely than not that Daboll is back in 2025, though that is less of a sure thing.

Both Florio and Jones note that Mara is unconvinced he could do better than Daboll if he were to go in a different direction. According to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports, some believe that Mara will feel compelled to fire someone in light of how the 2024 season has gone, and Daboll would be the one to get the axe in that scenario (though Vacchiano also thinks Daboll will ultimately stay).

In any event, Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch will speak with Schoen and Daboll before making a decision, and the club may not make the final call on Black Monday. It could take another day or two before the GM and HC know their fates.

DECEMBER 29, 2024: Late last month, a report on the respective futures of Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll indicated that both men were likely to retain their jobs for the 2025 season. However, our Sam Robinson noted at the time that owner John Mara’s history with such matters would suggest Schoen is safer than Daboll, and multiple outlets have confirmed that the GM and HC are not a “package deal.”

In other words, although Schoen and Daboll were both hired in January 2022 following their successful tenures with the Bills, Mara will evaluate them separately at the end of the season and is open to retaining one and firing the other, as Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Per Russini, there are increased rumblings around the league that Daboll could receive his walking papers, while Schoen continues to believe his job is secure (just as he has throughout the year).

A source close to Mara did indicate that the owner – who said in October that he planned to give Schoen and Daboll another opportunity in 2025 – intends to stay true to his word. However, the fact that the Giants have not won a game since October 6 could obviously change things, and Russini says Mara will sit down with his top power brokers at season’s end, at which point he will presumably make his final decision.

Interestingly, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com use the same terminology as Russini, noting that Schoen and Daboll are not a package deal and could be facing different fates in several weeks’ time. Like Russini, the NFL.com duo hears that Mara does not want to make a change, and that he believes his 2022 hirees remain highly capable.

While any GM or HC change qualifies as a watershed event in a club’s timeline, the Giants could soon be facing an especially critical moment. As a result of New York’s current 10-game losing streak, it is poised to secure the No. 1 overall selection of the 2025 draft and, by extension, a franchise signal-caller. Mara will have to determine, among other things, whether Schoen is the right person to make the pick and whether Daboll is the right person to develop whichever player is selected. Given how the last two campaigns have unfolded, those will not be easy questions to answer.

Should the Giants lose to the Colts today, they will have gone an entire season without a home victory for the first time since 1974 (h/t Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). They are also on pace for their worst overall record since 1966, when they finished 1-12-1 (h/t Rapoport and Pelissero).

In a recent poll, the majority of PFR readership expected Mara to ultimately part ways with both Schoen and Daboll, while roughly 22% of voters expected both men to be retained. About 17% predicted Mara will keep Schoen and can Daboll, and a scenario wherein Schoen is fired but Daboll retained was viewed as the least likely.

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