The New York Giants are getting the first shot at landing John Harbaugh.
They’re hoping it’s the last shot, too.
The coveted former Baltimore Ravens coach is in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Wednesday for his first in-person interview for a new job since his stunning firing from the Ravens last week. It is what could be the final piece in what has been an extensive courtship over the last week by the Giants, who are willing to offer Harbaugh “almost anything he wants” if he’ll take the job, according to a team source.
What they don’t know is whether Harbaugh is ready to accept. Harbaugh has “plans” to take in-person visits to the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons, but it does not appear that those visits have been scheduled, according to a source. That has led to some hope inside the Giants organization that they can close the deal on Harbaugh by the end of the day on Wednesday.
The Giants have been working on that deal since before Harbaugh was fired, according to multiple team and league sources. They seemed sure that the 62-year-old Harbaugh would be available even before his Ravens lost their season finale to the Pittsburgh Steelers and missed the playoffs, which led to the Ravens firing him the next day. Once he was available, he rocketed to the top of their list.
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Almost immediately, the Giants were one of the nine teams that sources told me contacted Harbaugh, including several that hadn’t fired their current head coach yet. Harbaugh has spoken to officials with several of those teams, including a conversation with the Falcons’ new president of football, Matt Ryan, that the team announced as an interview, but he has seemingly focused his attention on the Falcons, Titans and Giants.
The Giants, sensing an opportunity to remake their franchise in the wake of a decade of mostly losing, have been, as one team source said, “going for broke” in their attempt to get him. Chris Mara, their senior personnel consultant (and John Mara’s brother), made the trek down to the Baltimore area last week to visit Harbaugh at his home. John Mara, the team’s co-owner who has been undergoing regular cancer treatments, has spoken with the with Harbaugh. General manager Joe Schoen has had several extensive conversations with him, too.
And it hasn’t stopped there. At the team’s request, Harbaugh has reportedly received phone calls from several prominent Giants alumni, including two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin, and his two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback, Eli Manning. Recently fired Giants coach Brian Daboll even called Harbaugh and, a source told me, raved about his experience in the organization.
Brian Daboll has spoken highly of the Giants in his coversations with John Harbaugh just two months after getting fired by the franchise, a source told FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. (Todd Rosenberg/NFL)
The Giants have also let Harbaugh know that they are willing to meet his asking price (expected to be around $20 million per year), shell out millions more for what they hope will be a top coaching staff, and make whatever improvements or additions he wants throughout their program.
The source said that Harbaugh’s requests so far have been “significant,” but “don’t seem to be too extensive.”
“But he’s worth it,” the source told me. “You don’t get a shot at a coach like this too often. Sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes.”
That will include face-to-face discussions for Harbaugh with both Mara brothers and co-owner Steve Tisch on Wednesday, according to a source. Harbaugh will also meet again with Schoen, who a source said, has been willing to cede some power over personnel decisions to Harbaugh if he takes the job.
It’s unclear if Harbaugh has asked for total control, or if the Giants would be willing to give that if he asks. Their hope is that Harbaugh will be comfortable enough with Schoen that they can work in tandem, as he did for so many years in Baltimore with their general managers during his tenure, Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta.
One source familiar with Harbaugh’s thinking said that so far “it feels like a great match.”
That’s what the Giants are hoping, too. And they’re hoping Harbaugh feels strongly enough about it that he’ll be ready and willing to end his search by the end of Wednesday.
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.
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