Former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen said goodbye to Buffalo on Friday as he's heading to the New York Giants to become their new general manager.
Schoen joined the Bills in 2017 as the assistant general manager during Brandon Beane's first season in Buffalo. Before coming to the Bills, Schoen spent time with the Miami Dolphins and the Carolina Panthers. Schoen and Beane overlapped in Carolina from 2001 to 2007.
Since Beane and Schoen have worked together for many years, Beane said it's not easy watching one of his friends move on but he's thrilled for what's ahead.
"I'm sad personally to lose Joe and I know a lot of people in the building will be," Beane shared. "He is such a good person and he really worked hard for us these last five seasons, but it's a gain for the Giants. I'm happy for him, Marie and their family. They're going to do great."
Beane shared many stories about Schoen and his involvement with the organization like being in charge of their visit to meet Josh Allen and helping put a scouting department together when he first got to Buffalo. According to Beane, Schoen's best quality is his dependability and how he could be the GM's eyes and ears in a lot of situations.
"He's a great evaluator," Beane added. "He's a great communicator. He's a really good leader. He can talk to the owner, he can talk to anybody, a sponsor, fans, whoever. He just knows how to relate. He's very personable, a family guy. I can go on and on.
"We'll miss him. You don't replace people like that right away."
Beane shared he plans to hold a Zoom call with his scouting staff tomorrow to make sure all responsibilities are being handled as they approach a deeper push into the playoffs and the offseason without Schoen. He said he does not have any plans yet when it comes to finding a replacement.
Schoen isn't the first person from the Bills scouting department to get a promotion and head to a new team, and he won't be the last. Former Bills director of player personnel Dan Morgan left Buffalo last season for an assistant general manager position with the Carolina Panthers.
"I hope that I have more people in this building that are going to get a chance," Beane said of his staff. "Terrance Gray and Malik Boyd are the leaders of the college and pro. Brian Gaine has done it and come back, and we got some young guys underneath that and a couple of young ladies that are grooming themselves as well. So, I hope I have more of these coming because A, it means I'm still in this seat and things are going okay. And B, that the Bills are having success."
The Bills have had plenty of success under Beane and have made it to the postseason in four out of the five years since he's been the GM. He's drafted, developed and traded for a lot of the talent that led to Buffalo's No. 1 total defense and No. 5 total offense this season.
Other news from Beane
Beane also addressed the potential of Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll moving on to head coaching positions with other teams.
"I think Brian is going to do a great job when he gets his chance as a head coach, and Leslie as well," Beane said. "Leslie's obviously done it before and I've had great conversations with him about what he learned. I'd be surprised if they don't get a lot of looks, unless they've already had some. I'm hoping both of them get their chance because they deserve it."
