After enduring one of their worst seasons in franchise history, the Giants have made it known right away that they will be sticking with their head coach and general manager next season.
Team owner John Mara announced Monday morning that New York will retain Brian Daboll and John Mara, expressing faith in the current regime less than 24 hours after Big Blue dropped its season finale to the Eagles to finish the year with a 3-14 record.
There was mounting speculation, even after Mara voiced his confidence in Schoen and Daboll earlier in the year, that a change could be made given the mounting losses, or that even Schoen could stay on as GM and Daboll may be fired as head coach. Instead, both are coming back for what will be their fourth season together.
“Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will continue in their respective roles with the organization,” Mara said in a statement on Monday morning. “As disappointing as the results have been, Steve [Tisch] and I remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for the team.
“We look forward to the future and achieving the results we all desire.”
The Giants far exceeded expectations in year one of the Schoen/Daboll regime, reaching the playoffs and winning a postseason game on the road against the Vikings behind a stellar Daniel Jones. Schoen responded by signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract, but the follow-up was a disaster, as New York was steamrolled at home against the Cowboys in its season opener the following year, setting the tone for a six-win campaign where Jones suffered a season-ending ACL injury and Daboll feuded with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale before Martindale bolted for the collegiate level, taking a job at Michigan.
This season was even worse in terms of wins and losses, leading to the Giants securing the No. 3 overall pick, which could give Schoen and Daboll their chance to finally draft and develop a top quarterback prospect to hopefully bring the Giants a sense of stability that they haven’t had in over a decade.