John Mara is wasting Giants fans' time with Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll mandate

The New York Giants had a disastrous season that mercifully came to an end, with the team going 3-14 on the year. Those 14 losses are the most in a season in Giants history, and it happened in their 100th season of existence.

As the losses continued to pile up, Giants fans were holding out hope that the team would make some changes. Specifically, to move on from general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. After a solid first season which saw them win a playoff game, the Giants regressed. The bold decisions Schoen made this offseason resulted in an overall worse roster, and Daboll could not work the magic as he did in 2022 with Dave Gettleman's roster.

However, the vibes entering Week 18 were that both were safe, but reporting had indicated that team owners John Mara and Steve Tisch would meet with both immediately after the season to ask about their vision, and that a decision would be made by Tuesday the earliest. But on early Monday morning, Mara released a statement, announcing that both Schoen and Daboll would return for 2025.

Fans waited for Mara to speak to reporters to defend his decision. He didn't really do much to quell any concerns.

John Mara fails to convince fans why keeping Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll is right decision for Giants

Mara was asked why keeping Schoen and Daboll was the right move, and cited Schoen's 2024 draft class and Daboll winning coach of the year. But, Mara essentially said he was afraid of making a move in fear of taking a step back.

That brings us to the roster. Schoen is the one who built the roster and had final say in the decisions with Mara giving his blessing. We saw Schoen never give an official offer to Saquon Barkley, allowing him to hit free agency, only to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. While it stings he ran for 2,000 yards, he would not have that production on the Giants. But still, his leadership was desperately missed on the team. As is the absence of Xavier McKinney, who was a defensive team captain and thriving in Green Bay.

Besides those two stars, the roster Schoen constructed saw an offensive line that fell apart once again when left tackle Andrew Thomas went down with an injury, a lackluster secondary without a true CB1, and an uninspiring quarterback room with Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito. Oh, and just three wins to show for it.

Even Mara didn't give a full vote of confidence in the roster, saying he was unsure if it was better than what was three years ago.

"I'm not sure I am all that confident that it's that much better. I think, though, with the draft class that we just had...you have six draftees, all of whom you think are going to help us moving forward," said Mara. "I thought that was a huge step and the free agents that we picked up, [Jon] Runyan and bringing Brian Burns in here, I think that's going to help us moving forward. I think once you solve the quarterback issue, I think a lot of these other things will improve as well."

While yes, Schoen did strike gold with Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy, who both put up 1,000 yards of scrimmage, they are banking on quite a bit for them to carry the load, so to speak. Specifically, banking on a quarterback.

Mara stressed that one of their priorities will be to get a quarterback of the future, given the play since 2023, whether it was Jones, DeVito, or Lock. The play simply wasn't good enough. But with the third-overall pick, drafting Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward might be out of the question, especially with two quarterback-needy teams in the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns ahead of them.

Even with a rookie quarterback, you'd believe that this regime would get two years, at minimum, to see if they are the right choice. Well, Mara did put the kibosh on that idea, essentially saying he has "run out of patience" and wants to see better results by the end of next year.

"We're gonna have to see," said Mara, h/t SNY. "I'm gonna have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am right now."

The quarterback market isn't the greatest in free agency, as there are no difference makers as it looks currently. The Giants' hope was landing Sanders or Ward, but there's a possibility that neither are on the board when they are on the clock at No. 3 overall. So, they will need to get creative.

Given that Mara wants to see better results, there is a strong chance that Schoen and Daboll will be making some panic moves to try. Whether that's free agent signings or trading draft picks for players, there's plenty that could happen. But that's the worst thing a team can do — allowing a lame duck general manager to spend money freely. If they are to be let go next season, the net general manager is stuck with the proverbial bill. Schoen knows just that, as he took on an unideal cap situation left by Dave Gettleman, who the majority of the fanbase was not fond of based on his moves.

Given the ultimatum by Mara, expect to be a flurry of moves by Schoen and Daboll to improve the roster, but most importantly to them, save their jobs. If there is no improvement, it will lead to firings. Mara is essentially kicking the can down the road. While Mara said he will take the heat if his decision backfires, he will once again be left with "One Giant Mess."