Why Capital Region Fans Are Excited About New Giants’ GM Schoen

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the New York Giants did an incredible job during their search for the team's next general manager. That includes not only the process, the speed at which the process took place, but also, who they chose as their next general manager.

Welcome to MetLife Stadium, Joe Schoen.

Get our free mobile app

New York Giants Hire Joe Schoen as Their Next General Manager

According to a number of sources, the New York Giants announced this morning that they have hired Joe Schoen, the now-former assistant general manager of the Buffalo Bills.

Schoen comes to New York (from New York, technically) with over 20 years of scouting and executive experience in the NFL, and will depart a Buffalo Bills team that is consistently regarded as one of the best in the National Football League.

Schoen is completing his fifth season as the assistant general manager of the Buffalo Bills, having joined the franchise under current GM, Brandon Beane, in 2017. An area and national scout with the Miami Dolphins before coming to Buffalo, Schoen has been "in the trenches" of drafting and development for quite some time.

The duo of Beane and Schoen can be directly credited with bringing Sean McDermott in from Carolina, drafting players like Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds and more, and trading for Stefon Diggs.

The Bills were 7-9 in 2016. They went 9-7 the year after, and after a step back in 2018, went 10-6, 13-3 and most recently, 11-6, winning the AFC East in 2021.

Oh yeah, and they're still playing right now, too.

The Candidates the NY Giants Did Not Hire

As reported by multiple outlets, including Paul Schwartz from the New York Post, the Giants had cut down their list of candidates to three finalists, wrapping up their final interview Thursday.

Schoen was the first candidate in round one, and was the first candidate in round two; his second interview happened Tuesday.

Following Schoen, the Giants interviewed Ryan Poles, the Kansas City Chiefs' executive director of player personnel, on Wednesday. The 36-year old Poles is in charge of all aspects of scouting with the Chiefs, and despite it being his first year in the position he currently holds, had been with the Chiefs' organization for 13 years.

The final candidate, who was interviewed yesterday (Thursday), is Adam Peters, the assistant general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. Peters began his career as a scout with the New England Patriots, before bolting to Denver to join John Elway's staff. He was so highly-regarded, that he was hired in San Francisco despite not even sitting for an official interview.

The New York Giants Deserve Credit for This Process

When looking at these three candidates, I am extremely impressed with the list that the New York Giants put together. All three of these candidates, while young, have been extremely successful in their careers, and appear to be integral parts of their respective franchises, all three of which are still currently alive in the NFL Playoffs as of January 21st.

With that said, poaching a member of the Buffalo Bills' front office is a fantastic move by the Giants. Now, the work begins for Schoen, assembling a staff of his own, finding the right head coach, and beginning the intensive re-tooling that the Giants need.