EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have hired Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their new general manager.
Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch made the announcement Friday, a little more than a week after a starting a search in which they interviewed nine candidates in the first round and gave three a second interview.
“Throughout our search, Joe impressed us with his ability to communicate a progressive and comprehensive vision for our team,” Mara said. “His philosophy and collaborative approach to building a roster and coaching staff align with what we were looking for in a general manager.”
Schoen, who interviewed with the Bears on Sunday, got the nod over San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters and Kansas City’s executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles.
Schoen faces a major rebuilding process. The Giants have made the playoffs once since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. They have had five straight double-digit losing seasons, including a 4-13 record this past season.
His first job will be to find a coach to replace Joe Judge, who was fired last week after posting a 10-23 in two seasons. Interviews probably will start next week.
The 42-year-old Schoen should be able to help the team in the draft. New York will have the fifth and seventh picks overall.
The GM job opened on Jan. 10, when 70-year-old Dave Gettleman retired after posting a 19-46 record in four seasons. The 40-year-old Judge, who raised expectations with a 6-10 first season, was fired the next day after an injury plagued, disappointing season that ended with six straight losses.
The Giants started interviewing for the general manager’s job two days after Gettleman retired and spoke virtually with nine candidates. Schoen batted leadoff and stayed there.
Schoen got a second interview at the Giants team headquarters on Tuesday, followed by Poles of the Chiefs on Wednesday and Peters on Thursday.
Schoen has 20 years of scouting and executive experience in the NFL, including the past five with the Bills. He spent most of the previous decade with the Miami Dolphins’ front office.
Schoen’s first NFL job was as a ticket office intern with the Carolina Panthers in 2000. He spent seven seasons (2001-07) working for the Panthers under current Bills general manager Brandon Beane.
The Giants have gone through four coaches since 2016, the year Ben McAdoo was hired. He led the Giants to their only playoff berth but he was fired the next year in the midst of a 3-13 season that included the benching of Eli Manning.
Pat Shurmur was hired in 2018 and went 9-23 before being fired after two seasons. The trend continued under Judge, a former New England special teams coordinator.
Schoen will be the team’s fifth general manager since 1979, when Hall of Famer George Young started the process of turning around the stumbling franchise. He led the Giants to eight playoff berths and two Super Bowl titles before leaving in 1998 to join the NFL front office. Ernie Accorsi ran the club from 1998-06, hiring coach Tom Coughlin in 2004 and laying the groundwork for two more titles. Jerry Reese got the job in 2007 and combined with Coughlin to win Super Bowls after the ‘07 and ‘11 seasons. Gettleman was hired after McAdoo and Reese were fired in December 2017 following the debacle of benching Manning.
