EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have hired Elkhart native Joe Schoen as their new general manager.
Schoen, 42, spent the last five seasons as the Buffalo Bills’ assistant manager.
“We are pleased and proud to name Joe as our general manager,” said Giants president John Mara. “Throughout our search, Joe impressed us with his ability to communicate a progressive and comprehensive vision for our team. His philosophy and collaborative approach to building a roster and coaching staff align with what we were looking for in a general manager.”
Schoen was the first of nine candidates to interview for the role of Giants’ general manager. He is just the Giants’ fifth general manager since 1979 when Hall of Famer George Young was hired.
“Joe is the kind of exceptional leader we sought to oversee our football operations,” said chairman Steve Tisch. “We will do whatever it takes to support Joe’s vision and strategic plan for success. We are excited to begin this next chapter with Joe as our general manager.”
Schoen said Friday his immediate focus is on hiring a head coach to replace Joe Judge, who was fired last week after putting together a record of 10 – 23 in two seasons.
“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. “On the personnel side, we will begin to evaluate our roster and prepare for the draft and free agency. Our goal is to build a roster that will be competitive, have depth, and most importantly, win football games.”
During his time with the Bills, Schoen worked with general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott to turn the team into a contender. Buffalo has earned a postseason berth in four of five seasons and made it to the 2020 AFC Championship Game. Before the trio arrived in New York, the Bills failed to make the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons.
Before going to Buffalo, Schoen spent most of the last decade with the Miami Dolphins, working first as a scout and later in the front office. His first NFL job was as a ticket office intern for the Carolina Panthers in 2000. He joined the Panthers as a scout in 2001 and spent seven seasons there before moving on to Miami.
Schoen is a graduate of Elkhart Memorial High School and graduated from DePauw University in 2001. He played quarterback for the Tigers as a freshman and spent his final three years as a wide receiver, serving as captain during his senior season.
