John Harbaugh has only been out of a job for roughly 24 hours, but all indications suggest that the former Baltimore Ravens head coach won’t be out of a job for long.
Harbaugh has already generated interest from at least nine teams, a well-placed league source told me. The Super Bowl-winning head coach has quickly emerged as the top name on the open market, with FOX Sports’ Ben Arthur also ranking him first in the top candidates available in this offseason’s coaching carousel.
So, which teams that haven’t fired their head coach might have interest in Harbaugh? Could Harbaugh remain in the AFC North, or are the New York Giants the favorite to land him? Here’s what I’m hearing around the NFL about Harbaugh’s status as a head coach candidate.
[Coaching Carousel: Ranking the 7 NFL Head Coach Vacancies]
9 teams have contacted Harbaugh. Which teams that haven’t fired their head coach reached out to him?
Given his résumé and long record of success, it wasn’t a surprise that at least nine teams reached out to John Harbaugh in the hours after he was fired on Tuesday.
The surprising part is that only six teams (not including the Baltimore Ravens) are currently looking for a head coach.
So yes, a well-placed source told me there are at least three teams, and possibly more, who are having at least some internal discussions about firing their current coach now that Harbaugh, the long-time Ravens’ coach, is on the market. And those teams obviously wanted to gauge his level of interest as they decide whether to actually pursue him.
The Miami Dolphins, who so far have stood by embattled head coach Mike McDaniel, are reportedly one of them. And a source on one team hoping to make a big push for Harbaugh in the next few weeks told me that at least one of the expected suitors is playing this weekend in the wild-card playoff round.
Mike McDaniel has said that his job is safe as head coach of the Dolphins. But could John Harbaugh hitting the open market impact his job status? (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
So far, it’s clear that all six non-Baltimore teams looking for a new head coach — the New York Giants, the Tennessee Titans, the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cleveland Browns, and the Arizona Cardinals — have at least reached out to the Harbaugh camp, a source said. As for the others, speculation around the league seems to have centered on these teams:
Miami Dolphins: They reportedly reached out to Harbaugh, even though owner Stephen Ross has been leaking for weeks that he believes in McDaniel and wants to give him another season. They do have a GM opening too, which means Harbaugh could wield a lot of power and choose the general manager he wants there. Also, Ross has taken big swings before. Remember his ill-fated attempt to land Sean Payton and Tom Brady in 2022 (at the cost of $1.5 million and a first-round pick).
“Those are just the obvious four,” an assistant general manager on a team currently looking for a head coach told me, with the fourth team being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The conversation was had, though, before head coach Todd Bowles said he would be returning to the Buccaneers for the 2026 season.
“But you better believe that John Harbaugh’s name has come up in conversations in more than half the buildings in the league,” the assistant general manager added. “You don’t think Woody Johnson wouldn’t at least think about firing [Aaron] Glenn if he thought he could land Harbaugh [with the Jets]? You don’t think Jerry Jones had at least a couple of conversations about him [with the Cowboys] at some point?
“Of course they have. If you have any reservations at all about your coach and a guy like Harbaugh is suddenly available, you have to at least think about making a move.”
***
Could the Pittsburgh Steelers replace one legend with another?
A source with one team currently looking for a new coach called the Steelers “an interesting dark horse” in the race to hire Harbaugh.
Mike Tomlin was able to help the Steelers take down the Ravens in Week 18 for the AFC North title, but Pittsburgh’s head coach might still be on the hot seat. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
“If there are issues there [with Tomlin in Pittsburgh], why would making the playoffs solve them?” the source asked. “He might still feel it’s just time [to move on]. And management might feel the same way, especially if they don’t win a game [which they haven’t done in the playoffs since 2016].”
Whether the Steelers would pursue the 63-year-old Harbaugh isn’t clear, but it would certainly be an attractive job for the Ohio native. He enjoyed remarkable stability working in Baltimore. The Steelers are one of the few organizations that could credibly guarantee the same thing.
***
Harbaugh emerges as No. 1 target in New York
As New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen compiled his list of potential new coaches over the last several weeks, one name kept coming up in every discussion. They were very intrigued by the idea of hiring John Harbaugh if he became available. And according to a team source, they had grown increasingly confident that he would, so they prepared to take their shot.
They were right, and the now-former Ravens coach is now clearly the No. 1 name on their list as their search for a new head coach begins. They also believe they are high on Harbaugh’s list too, the source said. They have, in their eyes, a lot of pieces in place for a quick turnaround, especially a promising, young franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart.
They also have no reason to believe that Harbaugh is not seeking excessive power in the organization or that he feels he wouldn’t be able to work with Schoen, the team source said.
General manager Joe Schoen and the Giants have John Harbaugh at the top of their head coach wishlist. They think Harbaugh has them highly on his list of preferred estimations, too, a source told FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
The Giants’ search may focus on Harbaugh, but it is otherwise expected to be extensive and, a source said, will lean heavily towards candidates with NFL head coaching experience. So far, they have set up, or are in the process of setting up, interviews with seven candidates — Harbaugh, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Of those seven, only Anarumo, who was a candidate for the Giants head coaching job when Brian Daboll was hired four years ago, and Kubiak don’t have previous head coaching experience.
The Giants are also expected to interview former Raiders head coach (and former Giants linebacker) Antonio Pierce and former Commanders offensive coordinator (and former Cardinals head coach) Kliff Kingsbury.
Stefanski, who is probably their second choice, was scheduled to kick off their interviews on Wednesday.
***
Tomlin would be a fit with the Giants, but would they wait for him?
There are many, many personal connections between the Giants and Steelers organizations, especially among the ownership groups and front offices, so it’s hardly surprising news that if Steelers coach Mike Tomlin were suddenly available, he’d jump to at least near the top of the Giants’ list, too. But they don’t seem as convinced that will happen as they sounded about Harbaugh.
So no, they’re not going to wait around to find out.
Steelers beat Ravens 26-24, Clinch AFC North, Trust Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs?
Obviously, if the Steelers lose their wild-card game on Monday night and there’s a quick resolution to Tomlin’s status, then the Giants could quickly move to fit him into their interview schedule. But a team source said there are enough good choices available, so they don’t feel the need to wait on Tomlin if the Steelers win.
They’re also not convinced that Tomlin would even want to coach immediately next season if he and the Steelers decided to part ways. There has been some speculation that he might want to take a year off, perhaps working on TV.
If he is available soon, though, the Giants would definitely be interested. Whether he or Harbaugh would be their top choice at that point feels like a close call. It might depend on who in the organization is asked.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
