Giants GM Joe Schoen on state of franchise heading into bye week, including head coaching search plan

Following a disappointing 33-15 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night, Giants GM Joe Schoen spoke with media on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the state of the franchise heading to their bye week.

Schoen opened the news conference by shouldering the blame for New York's 2-11 record, saying he'll do all he can to "get this franchise back where it belongs."

"Two wins is not where we want to be right now, it's not good enough," Schoen said. "I understand the frustration from fans, ownership, the people inside the building. Nobody is more frustrated than myself. It starts with me. I'm tasked with trying to get this organization back in the proper direction. The standard is to compete for championships year in and year out. That's the plan moving forward.

"We're going to look at everything. Whether it's free agency, draft, coaching, finishing, execution on the field, whatever it may be. We're going to look all avenues to get this franchise back where it belongs."

The fourth-year GM went on to talk about the decision to fire head coach Brian Daboll, the head coaching search, what he's seen from QB Jaxson Dart, and more.

End of Daboll era

Schoen thanked Daboll for his time with the Giants and noted that "ownership made a decision to move on" from the former head coach after a 2-8 start to the season. He acknowledged that the two came from Buffalo together and feels just as responsible for the lack of success, but is still working to fix the team.

"Dabes and I have an extended history together, professionally and personally," Schoen said. "Difficult decision, but one we decided to make. He's a great football coach and he's going to be successful in whatever he does after the New York Giants."

He added: "My hand's in it just like Brian's is. Ownership made a decision to move on. Again, I'm going to control what I can control and that's support Kafka moving forward. I wish Dabes nothing but the best. And we're going to everything we can to get this franchise back to where it should be."

The head coaching search

Schoen said the team won't start an official head coaching search until the end of the season and is currently focusing on supporting Kafka for the remainder of the year.

"We're going to do everything we can right now to support Kafka," Schoen said. "That's our primary focus right now, is give Kafka everything he needs in order to succeed over the next four weeks, support him and his staff.

"At the appropriate time, we'll get into potential coaches, research. We'll do a thorough, collaborative research and come up with the best coach to lead the New York Giants going in to the 2026 season."

Kafka, 38, was originally hired alongside Daboll as OC in 2022 following his success as the quarterbacks coach for Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes. Schoen made it clear that Kafka will have an opportunity to lose the interim tag depending how he does the final four weeks.

"Mike's going to get a real look. He's getting a real look right now, hands on. Had very good communication with Mike throughout the process... I have a good relationship with Mike. He's a good coach, good leader. He's getting an opportunity over these next four weeks to lead the team."

Confidence in himself and the team's core

If Kafka doesn't become the head coach in 2026, Schoen believes they will be able to find a strong candidate thanks to the core they've built.

"I do believe there is a good, young core to build around here and it will be an attractive job for many coaches. I'm excited to get that process going as we move forward."

Schoen was later asked about any challenges of hiring a head coach with a preexisting GM, dispelling the idea a coach would but uninterested in the Giants job if he retains his in the front office.

"The calls we've got, I think we're going to be able to fill the job."

Schoen got many other questions about his own job security for the 2026 season, but believes he and the staff are the right people to fix things in the Meadowlands.

"My focus right now is on supporting Kafka as we go forward," Schoen said. "We'll evaluate all aspects of the football operation as we go forward. Has it been perfect? No. I'm very confident in my staff, myself, and our ability to get this franchise back where it needs to go."

When asked where his confidence comes from, he explained the opportunity the Giants have with their current roster and how they have "pieces in place" to rebuild the team properly.

"It starts with me, I take responsibility for that. We do have a good young quarterback that's on a rookie contract for the next four years. That's when it gets fun, when you're building around a young quarterback.

"You have a good nucleus, you have a good left tackle, you have a wide receiver that had a historic year as a rookie season, you got a good running back room, you got pass rushes. There's pieces in place... I do have confidence in our ability and our process to find the next coach to lead the organization. I truly believe in that process and I know we're going to get it right."

Finding the "fine line" with Dart's edge

Schoen praised the QB for his play since taking over the starting job in Week 4, noting he's "exceeded expectations" during his rookie season.

"Jaxson's done a good job, I've been impressed with Jaxson. Offensive Player of the Month for October. Played really well for a rookie. Whether it's throwing the ball downfield, off platform, creating plays, the ability to extend plays has been impressive. His leadership, his knowledge of the offense. He's exceeded expectations so far, he's done a good job."

Of course, with Dart having already missed time due to a concussion, the 22-year-old's style of play has become a hot topic. Schoen acknowledged that Dart has some learning to do with taking "unnecessary hits," but his ability to run and make something out of nothing is why he's a special talent.

"Having just lived this in Buffalo, we've been through this before," Schoen said, referring to Bills QB Josh Allen. "What makes these players great is their toughness, their competitiveness, their desire to win. You appreciate that about Jaxson, but you also have to be available. Try not to take the unnecessary hits, I would say last night was probably unnecessary, probably could've gotten out of bounds... There's a fine line. What makes Jaxson great is his competitiveness, his desire to win, and that's the way he's wired. So you try to find a fine line between playing smart but also not taking away what makes them great.

He continued: "He's not the only quarterback that scrambles... Patrick Mahomes is running all over the place, Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen. Some of the best. There's very few that can be the pocket passer that's just a statue these days. You just got to be smart when you can get down and not have to take hits, unnecessary hits, you got to take advantage of those opportunities so you can live to see another day."

Abdul Carter's benching

Schoen made it clear he backs Kafka's choice to bench Carter early against the Patriots on Monday night, saying he will "support him with whatever decision he makes in terms of player discipline."

While it's the second time in three games that Carter has been benched, Schoen does not see it as a lingering issue going forward.

"I have a lot of faith in the people in the building and the resources that we have. Abdul is a young man that's 21 years old that's smart and understands the magnitude of his actions, and also understands what it means to be a pro.

"These kids are 21 years old and they're thrust in the spotlight in New York City It's not always going to be perfect, people make mistakes, nobody's perfect. Part of our job is to develop them as football players, but also as people, and we will continue to do that with everybody in this organization."