5 Combine Questions For NY Giants General Manager Joe Schoen

Assuming that New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh were successful in escaping the great blizzard of 2026 that rocked the northeast Sunday night into Monday, both men are scheduled to address reporters on Tuesday, Schoen at 11 a.m. and Harbaugh at 1 p.m.

While everyone would undoubtedly like to know which draft prospects and potential free agents the brass is interested in, those questions won't be answered.

But there are some questions that are just as fair game that one or both might choose to answer, or at the very least offer a hint or two that can offer a bit of clarity into the inner workings of this new relationship now that Harbaugh has been on the job for over a month.

One person can’t ask all the questions, but in part one of this two-part preview, here are some questions that could be on the list for when Schoen takes the podium.

What has been your role since Harbaugh got up and running?

Jan 20, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh pose after the press conference announcing Harbaugh's hiring at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

For the first time in probably ever, the Giants' organizational structure has the head coach and the general manager reporting directly to ownership rather than having the head coach report directly to the general manager.

This type of arrangement has raised questions about whether Harbaugh and Schoen have a 50-50 say on team matters, or whether Harbaugh has a louder voice given his resume.

And to that end, if there is a difference of opinion, whose perspective wins out?

Are there planned changes to the football decision-making committee?

Jul 23, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen on the field during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Ever since being hired by the Giants, Schoen has surrounded himself with a group of trusted advisors whose input he seeks prior to making football decisions.

We have long believed, based on the clips shown during the Giants’ stint on Hard Knocks a couple of years ago, that the committee is too large and has too great a potential for conflicting opinions.

We’d be curious to know whether that committee is still in place or has been slimmed down. The Giants’ answer, if this question were to be raised, is that all decisions are organizational ones, but we know it’s rare for everyone to be on the same page.

What will be your involvement in player contract negotiations moving forward?

Which still-to-be-determined players will be wearing Giants helmets in 2026? | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the past, player negotiations and contracts fell under Schoen’s jurisdiction. But when the team moved on from cap manager Kevin Abrams after 27 years and brought in Dawn Aponte to handle that responsibility (among others), there was another change: Aponte would report to Harbaugh instead of the general manager.

Based on all the information coming out about the new structure, it almost sounds as though Schoen has been reduced to a high-priced scout, a role, to be fair, he’s been good at. But still, how much say, if any, will he have in player contracts as the still titled general manager?

Is there any progress on your contract extension?

General Manager Joe Schoen | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Speaking of contracts, we found it rather odd that when Harbaugh was hired and given unprecedented power that no other head coach had prior, Schoen, at least at the time, didn’t receive a contract extension, given that he’s in the final year of his deal.

There were then whispers that the team would wait until after the draft to address Schoen’s contract.

What’s interesting about this is that Harbaugh now reportedly has a lot of responsibility that was previously under the general manager’s domain.

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So, at the very least, one would think there might be an amendment made to Schon’s contract, which, if the team was going to do, it might as well have done the extension too.

Or is this a case of waiting to see how well Schoen and Harbaugh actually end up working together as they go through their first roster-building process together?

Whatever the case–and this is a question that, if it comes up, we doubt Schoen will answer–it’s a curious situation.

Can you provide updates on Cam Skattebo's and Malik Nabers' rehabs?

When we last left the locker room, running back Cam Skattebo, recovering from a devastating season-ending ankle injury, and wide receiver Malik Nabers, recovering from an ACL injury, seemed to have different perspectives on when they might get the green light to return.

Skattebo has made no secret of the fact that he’s aiming to be ready in time for the spring workouts, though whether he gets the green light to do so remains to be seen.

Already, though, he’s shown remarkable progress to the point where, come April, when the team opens its offseason program, it might just be a matter of his demonstrating to the medical staff that he can run and cut on that ankle.

Nabers is a different story. He admitted to reporters that he had a lot going on in his knee and that, while surgery fixed everything, because of what happened, he wasn’t willing to say he’d be ready for the start of training camp.

His stance, in fact, has been that when his body tells him he’s ready, he’ll be ready. And even Schoen, when he spoke to reporters after Harbaugh’s introductory press conference last month, sounded reluctant when it came to questions regarding Nabers.

It’s only been a month since then, so anyone expecting Nabers to be running and cutting this soon might be disappointed.

But what Schoen can reveal, if he chooses to, is how Nabers’ progress is coming along and what early projections are for the receiver hitting the milestones set for him in his rehab.