New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen knows how to play the media game. He learned it under Brandon Beane earlier in his career with the Buffalo Bills. Schoen has a ton of experience in the NFL. He fully understands what it means to use media as a tactic leading up to the NFL Draft.
That’s exactly what Schoen attempted to do in holding his final press conference ahead of the annual event a week from Thursday.
Schoen told reporters that it’s “not true” the Giants are having buyer’s remorse after handing quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract extension last offseason. Jones, 26, threw two touchdowns compared to six interceptions in six starts before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in 2023.
The embattled general manager also noted that the Giants have gotten a ton of interest from teams in looking to move up to No. 6 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Surprisingly at 6, we’ve gotten a lot of calls from people behind us. I didn’t think I would have as much as activity from 6 from people behind me as we’ve gotten. So those are options too as we look at: If we go back, how far back do we want to go?”
New York Giants GM Joe Schoen on NFL Draft trade talks
It’s true that multiple teams are rumored to be interested in trading up. The Minnesota Vikings have been bandied about a whole lot. They boast the 11th and 23rd picks in the draft. Minnesota is aiming for a quarterback such as Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Even then, this media game has been played before. It’s still worth trying. But the idea of changing things with a week to go ahead of the draft is foolhardy.
Related: New York Giants legend details why selecting J.J. McCarthy would be horrible
New York Giants’ tactics will not fool other teams in the NFL Draft
Showing confidence in an injury-plagued and high-priced quarterback who has not lived up to expectations can be read through seven days a week. Other front office heads are not in their current positions because they’ve proven to be gullible.
It’s rather easy to look at what Schoen is trying to do here. New York has been talked about as a team looking to trade up for a quarterback. Why not try to lower the price by showing that you’re not desperate? Again, other general managers know this.
The same goes for Schoen telling reporters that there is an unusually high interest from teams looking to move up to the sixth spot. It doesn’t hurt to attempt to create a bidding war. But is that really going to happen with the first three picks in the draft likely to be quarterbacks?
Perhaps, teams looking to trade up for a wide receiver saw their interest grow after Schoen’s comments. That’s probably what he’s banking on right now.
Related: Ranking the top Round 2 options for the New York Giants in the NFL Draft
Either way we spin it, these Giants are in the same exact situation they were in before Schoen’s Q&A with the media on Thursday.
They are being linked to trade up scenarios for a quarterback due to realistic concerns over Jones. They are obviously willing to listen to teams attempting a trade up. They could also stick at six and go wide receiver.
Welcome to the silly time of the pre-draft process. Nothing we hear from decision-makers a week from the annual event will change a single thing. Good on Schoen for trying his hardest.
