The New York Giants, the perceived frontrunner in the race to hire John Harbaugh since the day he was fired last week by the Baltimore Ravens, are working to finalize a deal to make the Super Bowl XLVII champion their next head coach, two sources directly involved in the process confirmed to The Athletic.
Reached late Wednesday night, after he had returned to his Baltimore-area home following a lengthy visit at the Giants’ East Rutherford, N.J., facility and a dinner at a local restaurant, Harbaugh declined to confirm that he was close to an agreement, saying he wanted to leave any comment up to the team.
But as early as last Thursday, two days after Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti ended his 18-year run in Baltimore, Harbaugh was already picturing himself in Giants colors.
“I think this is the job for me,” he told at least one person.
That job is now within reach because the Giants relentlessly pursued Harbaugh, who had drawn interest from as many as nine teams in the hours immediately after his shocking firing. No contract has been agreed to between the Giants and Harbaugh, and some terms still needed to be worked out. But barring an unexpected snag in negotiations, the Giants are primed to land a coach who made a dozen postseason appearances and won 180 regular-season games in Baltimore.
ESPN was first to report the news of the team and the candidate working to finalize an agreement.
How does a 4-13 team that has mastered the art of losing in recent years become one of the biggest NFL stories in the middle of the playoffs?
Call the New York market your home and chase after the most coveted coaching free agent in the hiring cycle as if your $10 billion franchise valuation depended on it, that’s how.
This is a monumental moment for an organization that had completely lost its way.
The staid, old-school Giants continued their all-out pursuit of Harbaugh on Wednesday by flying him into New Jersey on co-owner Steve Tisch’s private jet, which was tracked by seasoned internet sleuths and hopeful Giants fans alike. Before ending his visit sharing dinner with Giants officials, Harbaugh was escorted into meetings with Tisch, partner John Mara, and other team senior executives including Chris Mara and general manager Joe Schoen. He was given a tour of the practice facility that included a meet-and-greet with quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose dual-threat talents on tape gave Harbaugh “a lot to be excited about,” the coach told at least one person.
The Giants had a ton to be excited about Wednesday. The team knew it would be tough to land a commitment from Harbaugh when he had a Thursday interview scheduled with the Tennessee Titans at his Baltimore-area home, though that interview has now been cancelled, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
But then again, the Giants were seemingly hellbent on outhustling and outfoxing their competition — something they’ve rarely done on the field.
Though the Atlanta Falcons claimed the first Harbaugh interview Monday — a phone call between the 63-year-old coach and the Falcons’ new president of football, Matt Ryan — the Giants scored the first official in-person interview with Harbaugh.
This extended Giants-Harbaugh summit unfolded two days after Chris Mara told The Athletic that he met the candidate for lunch and an informal meeting Sunday at his home. At the time, several sources directly involved in the process said Harbaugh was “very interested” in the Giants’ opening.
That interest intensified after Chris Mara’s home visit, as Giants executives remained in constant phone contact with Harbaugh and his camp. Schoen had numerous conversations with the coach to detail the team’s daily operations and to assure Harbaugh that he would have the influence over roster decisions that he desired.
Harbaugh told at least one person that these conversations with the embattled GM left him feeling that he could definitely work with Schoen.
Finally, the Giants got the top candidate for their open coaching job into their offices in the shadows of MetLife Stadium for a series of meetings that proved decisive. One participant described the sessions as “excellent.” Asked about the state of negotiations later in the evening, a second participant said, “Went well. Still talking.”
Giants officials ate dinner with Harbaugh before he left for Teterboro airport and took off in Tisch’s Gulfstream G500 at 7:27 p.m. The plane landed at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport at 8:05 p.m. and Harbaugh headed to his Owings Mills home, where he was scheduled to sit with the Titans the next day.
But before that meeting could go down, Harbaugh was already down the road toward a wild new adventure. He decided he wants a big bite of the Big Apple, and so he moved closer to a deal that made a 4-13 team the biggest story of the NFL’s playoff season.
John Harbaugh will get his bite of the Big Apple with the New York Giants. (Tim Warner / Getty Images)
Including the Super Bowl he won following the 2012 season, Harbaugh has a 13-11 record in the postseason. Those 13 wins are seventh-most all time, one ahead of two-time Giants Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin, and behind only two future Hall of Famers, Bill Belichick (31) and Andy Reid (28), as well as four coaches already enshrined in Canton: Tom Landry (20), Don Shula (19), Joe Gibbs (17) and Chuck Noll (16).
Harbaugh will be looking to turn around a Giants franchise that has endured a tumultuous era over the past decade-plus. After parting ways with Coughlin following the 2015 season, the Giants have gone 55-109-1, giving them a .336 win percentage that ranks ahead of only the New York Jets (.297) in that span. Harbaugh will be the team’s fifth full-time head coach since Coughlin’s departure. The team has hired and fired Ben McAdoo (2016-17), Pat Shurmur (2018-19), Joe Judge (2020-21) and, most recently, Brian Daboll (2022-25).
Harbaugh’s partner in ushering in a new era seems likely to be Schoen, the general manager whom Giants ownership decided to retain despite a 22-45-1 record during his tenure in New York. Schoen, who hired Daboll, helped lead the search for his second head coach and will now be instrumental in helping Harbaugh reverse the fortunes of this franchise.
Even before Harbaugh officially hit the open market, the pairing with New York was discussed as a possible match. Not only does Harbaugh come with a winning record and championship pedigree, but he’s also got some of the other intangibles the Giants were looking for in the coaching search. In his end-of-season news conference, Schoen highlighted that they’d be looking for someone with proven leadership abilities as well as someone who would hold players accountable.
The latter was a popular refrain among Giants players when polled at season’s end when asked about their ideal head-coaching candidate.
While the Giants have struggled mightily lately, suffering through three consecutive double-digit loss seasons, the cupboard in New York is far from bare. Among the biggest selling points the Giants had at their disposal during the hunt for a new coach was Dart. The rookie went 4-8 this season after replacing Week 1 starter Russell Wilson by Week 4. Dart racked up 2,272 passing yards and 15 touchdowns versus five interceptions while completing 63.7 percent of his passes. On the ground, while Dart got himself into some trouble at times by taking too many hits, he finished with 487 rushing yards and nine scores.
Along with Dart, the Giants’ offense also boasts a young star in wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is recovering from a torn ACL, one of the best left tackles in the NFL in Andrew Thomas, and a solid 1-2 punch at running back in Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. The offensive line, which put together a largely solid and consistent season, does feature two key looming free agents in right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and right guard Greg Van Roten. Newly minted 1,000-yard receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is also slated to hit the open market.
Defensively, the Giants still have the makings of a formidable pass rush, led by All-Pros Brian Burns (16.5 sacks this year) and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who is coming off a down season. Outside linebacker Abdul Carter didn’t record many sacks (four) during his rookie campaign, but his 66 pressures ranked 12th in the NFL.
Beyond them, outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered through an injury-plagued fourth season, while the inside linebacker room and secondary underwhelmed and could require upgrades.
In terms of resources, Harbaugh takes over a team with an estimated $5.2 million cap space, per Over the Cap, and the No. 5 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The Giants also have their own picks in Rounds 2, 4, 5 and 6, along with two more picks in the sixth round as a result of trades with Miami and Dallas. They don’t have their third as a result of their trade-up for Dart.
In terms of what’s next for the Giants, Harbaugh will look to fill out his coaching staff, starting with coordinators. Harbaugh has connections all over the league, so it will be interesting to see who the veteran coach brings in to lead his offense, defense and special teams units.
— The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Dan Duggan contributed to this report.
