New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen showed up 30 minutes late to a bye-week press conference on Tuesday, but the attending reporters found plenty of time to grill him on the team’s dismal season.

Over the 22-minute presser, Schoen was bluntly questioned about the Giants’ 2-11 record, why Brian Daboll was “held responsible” for the team’s failures but not him, and if he believed he was the right fit for the general manager position.

To his credit, Schoen took responsibility and remained even-tempered in his responses, but this latest press conference feels like the peak of frustration that’s been mounting since the Giants were featured on Hard Knocks: Offseason in 2024.

Former New York Giants shine for the Seattle Seahawks

The good news for Schoen is that at least one team is happy with his decisions over the last few seasons. The bad news? That team is located about 3,000 miles west of New York.

During the press conference, Schoen was asked about the numerous high-profile players he has let walk since becoming the Giants’ GM in 2022. Two of the players mentioned, Leonard Williams and Julian Love, are now key contributors on the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.

Schoen elected not to re-sign Love after the 2022 season. John Schneider quickly inked the young safety to a three-year, $36 million deal, and he made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a Seahawk.

A few months later, Schoen traded Leonard Williams to the Seahawks midway through the 2023 season, getting a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick in exchange. That second-round pick was used to acquire Tyler Nubin, a solid starter for the GMen, but Schoen might want a redo. Williams is one of the league’s best defensive linemen, racking up 22 sacks and 32 tackles for loss in 38 games for the Seahawks.

Schoen said parting ways with the two defensive studs was more about timing than talent.

“I hear you on those guys, but you’re at different points in the build,” he said. “You want to rush the passer, protect the passer, and get a quarterback. Rush the passer, protect the passer, and have a quarterback. In the context of those decisions, if you bring back a safety, now you don’t have a pass rusher. If you bring back a running back, you don’t get Jermaine Eluemunor. You don’t get Jon Runyan.”

Regardless of Schoen’s thought process, Seattle is certainly happy to have Williams and Love. But they’re not the only Seahawks who could have been stuck languishing in New York.

Sam Darnold’s near-return to New York

The Giants were one of several teams with rumored interest in Sam Darnold this past offseason. They were in desperate need of a quarterback after moving on from Daniel Jones (who, perhaps not so coincidentally, looks revitalized in Indianapolis). Schoen did acquire three quarterbacks before the 2025 season, none of them Darnold.

Instead, the former No. 3 overall pick signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks. The Darnold acquisition is a primary reason the team is 9-3 and tied atop the NFC West. Even though his play has been up and down the past few weeks, Darnold ranks seventh in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passer rating.

Seattle has Joe Schoen to thank for three of its starters, all of whom are playing at a Pro Bowl or near-Pro Bowl level. In return, Giants fans can thank the Seahawks for Russell Wilson.