Giants' Joe Schoen replacement may already be working for John Harbaugh

The long-term future of New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is seemingly still up in the air after reports surfaced suggesting that Giants head coach and true head of football operations John Harbaugh could part ways with Schoen this spring. 

As Tom Rock of Newsday shared for a piece published on Thursday, Harbaugh recently offered what could be some eyebrow-raising comments about Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown.

John Harbaugh is "very impressed" with Brandon Brown

"Brandon, gosh, he's been great," Harbaugh said about Brown. "You ask a question, and he knows what he's talking about. He's very thorough in his explanation . . . He's high-energy, very smart, knows the league inside and out. I’m very impressed." 

Harbaugh didn’t know Brown until the former was hired by the Giants this past winter. Like Schoen, Brown has been in his role with the organization since early 2022. Meanwhile, the perception exists that Brown, Schoen and others within the Giants front office are reporting to Harbaugh, who reports directly to team co-owner John Mara. 

Shortly after the 2026 NFL Draft wrapped up, Schoen insisted that his working relationship with Harbaugh has "been great." That said, reports have indicated that Schoen is still in the final year of his contract. Thus, it's fair to wonder if he will remain a lame-duck GM or be shown the door unless he puts pen to paper on some kind of extension. 

Brandon Brown seems to be working with John Harbaugh quite nicely

"Every day I step inside the building, I think, 'How can I provide value? How can I solve problems, whether they are small or big?' My thing was free agency, the draft, those were the most important periods and touch points as we were integrating with the new coaching staff," Brown told Rock. "It was understanding their vision for what this team was going to look like and helping to present the best options for us to execute that."

Harbaugh is restructuring the Giants as he sees fit, but he has also kept some familiar faces around as of May 14. Perhaps he could eventually promote Brown if Schoen is deemed surplus to requirements.