Who's the Boss? John Harbaugh, Joe Schoen Discuss Their Working Relationship

The Giants downplayed John Harbaugh's reporting to team co-owner John Mara.

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

New York Giants John Harbaugh becomes the first head coach in the franchise’s history to report directly to the owner and not the general manager. But as far as he and general manager Joe Schoen are concerned, the reporting structure, which Harbaugh enjoyed in Baltimore with the Ravens, isn’t a big deal. 

“To me, it's really not that important in the big picture,” Harbaugh said during his half-hour introductory press conference. 

“I think it's kind of overblown just a little bit in terms of how it works. But the main thing is that it works and that we work together. That's what matters. That's kind of what I was used to, and it felt like a good way to kind of start.”

Schoen, who spoke to reporters off the podium, echoed those sentiments.

“ I'm not worried about that,” he said. “I've been in the league for 26 years, so everywhere I've been, the head coach and general manager work together, that's the only way it's gonna work and get on the same page, go through the process again.”

Chris Mara, speaking on behalf of his brother John, the team’s co-owner and CEO, who continues to battle cancer, also emphasized that Harbaugh and Schoen will work together. 

“I know that's a big deal around here, final say,” Mara said. “It's collaborative, and (Harbaugh) is the first to admit that if he had final say with everything in (the Ravens building), he wouldn't be able to do his job. 

“He's gonna be like the most important cog in the wheel, let's put it that way. But in terms of final say, this is gonna be a collaborative effort between ownership, general manager, and head coach.”

That collaborative effort between the head coach and general manager is already off to a strong start. 

“I think it's going to be incredible, I really do,” Harbaugh said of his partnership with Schoen. “I already know because we’ve had a chance to start talking to each other. 

“You work with new people all the time. But Joe has been around the National Football League for years and years. He's got a tremendous amount of experience. I'm going to be leaning on him, and he's going to be leaning on me. We're going to be leaning on everybody around us. 

Harbaugh added that at the end of the day, it’s all about the results of the collaboration, making those who have invested in it happy.  

“We want our bosses to be happy,” he said. We want them to know we're trying to do things the right way every single day, and that's what matters.”

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