John Harbaugh is settling in as the new head coach of the Giants, assembling a coaching staff after finding a new home following his firing by Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti.
And while it’s easy to point to the fact the Ravens failed to make the playoffs this past year as the reason Harbaugh was canned, there was surprise when Bisciotti said even if Tyler Loop’s field goal attempt had been good against the Steelers in Week 18 to get Baltimore into the postseason, Harbaugh would have remained the coach “for a week.”
Meaning that even getting to the playoffs wouldn’t have been enough.
Harbaugh, speaking recently on the “BMore Football Podcast,” said perhaps another postseason run might have saved him.
“It’s probably just a tough question to answer,” Harbaugh said of the chances of having remained in Baltimore. “Maybe we win the next game. You know, maybe we win all four [playoff] games [and] maybe win four games in a row. You know, that could have happened. … It really doesn’t matter. What happened is what happened, and what needed to be done in the opinion of Steve, was what was done. So, it’s cool.”
Harbaugh added that he thinks he’d still be in Baltimore if the Ravens made the playoffs and went on to win the Super Bowl.
Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts during a game
against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Getty Images
“If we’d have won four games and won the Super Bowl after that, I’m pretty sure I’d still be there right now,’’ Harbaugh said. “I don’t know. That’d be my guess. But it didn’t happen that way, so it doesn’t matter.”
Because almost immediately after being dismissed by Bisciotti, the 63-year-old Harbaugh became arguably the most sought-after head coach in the NFL, landing with the Giants on a five-year, $100 million contract.
Still, Harbaugh called the end of his 18-year tenure with the Ravens “tough.”
“It hits you hard, and you realize it’s coming to an end,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not saying I didn’t want to stay because I did. I love the players. I love everybody in that organization. I’ll always be grateful for every player, every coach, every person on that staff … I’ll miss that. But you know what? Those relationships aren’t going away either. So, on to the next thing for everybody.”
The Ravens hired former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be their new head coach, where he’ll try to get Lamar Jackson to a Super Bowl, something Harbaugh couldn’t accomplish.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaking to players after he was introduced in January. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Harbaugh, meanwhile, has put together a veteran coaching staff as the Giants attempt to get back to the playoffs after firing Brian Daboll midseason and replacing him with interim head coach Mike Kafka.
Daboll wound up as the offensive coordinator of the Titans, working for ex-Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
