The New York Giants have hired Joe Schoen as their next general manager, which means the search for a new head coach can commence.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has already been requested for an interview, but he will not be alone. The Giants are also expected to request interviews with former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
There will likely be others.
What’s interesting however, is that Giants co-owner John Mara reportedly reached out to Flores prior to the hiring of Schoen. Additionally, Mara is telling coaching candidates that the team is willing to eat a boatload of dead cap in order to clear some space for 2022.
John Mara reached out to Brian Flores a couple of nights ago, a source told The Post. Very good conversation. Mara assured Flores that he's a serious candidate and that Giants will be willing to eat money to clear up some cap space…This could be Flores-Daboll steel cage match.
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 21, 2022
This approach is interesting because Mara and fellow co-owner, Steve Tisch, previously stated the new GM would “oversee all aspects of our football operations, including player personnel, college scouting and coaching.”
That already appears to be an untruth with the request to interview Quinn and the private phone call to Flores. It also flies in the face of Schoen’s first remarks as Giants GM, in which he claimed the head coaching search would be wide-ranging.
“Now, the work begins. My immediate focus is to hire a head coach, with who I will work in lockstep with to create a collaborative environment for our football operations. We will cast a wide net, it can be former head coaches, first-time head coaches but, more importantly, it has to be a person who possesses the ability to lead an organization and the ability to motivate and develop players,” Schoen said.
Mara promised to stay out of the way but he can’t seem to help himself. Hopefully for the Giants’ sake, he was just trying to get some ducks in a row so Schoen could hit the ground running without a leash.
