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Giants’ Dawn Aponte Hire To Strip Some Of GM Joe Schoen’s Power?

By | at February 15, 2026 11:10 pm

The fact that hiring John Harbaugh as head coach meant the Giants would be required to change their front office structure was no small story. In fact, it was such a big factor that it was part of the reason for a multi-day delay between when the team announced its intentions to hire Harbaugh and when the deal was finalized.

We’d only really gotten small tidbits about how different the structure would be, but Ian O’Connor of The Athletic dropped a few key details this evening that certainly show significant potential change.

Before O’Connor’s report today, the tidbits that we’d gotten were minor. Harbaugh wanted to have roster input. Harbaugh would report directly to owner John Mara and not general manager Joe Schoen. It was a similar situation to what Harbaugh had grown accustomed to in Baltimore and didn’t seem to be shaking up the boat too much. Schoen wanted to be sure Harbaugh wouldn’t be importing front office staffers to slowly take control of a front office that had been Schoen’s domain.

That appears to still be mostly the case, but there was one hire of Harbaugh’s that appears to be mixing things up. Per O’Connor, Harbaugh was pivotal in the team’s efforts to hire Dawn Aponte away from the league office. Aponte’s position with New York has been designated as senior vice president of football operations and strategy. According to Pat Leonard of NY Daily News Sports, she will be responsible for “strategic planning for football operations, analytics, salary cap management, player contract negotiations, compliance, and working closely with the college and pro personnel departments.”

That’s not all Leonard says. If it seems like several of those responsibilities would usually reside with the general manager, it’s because they would. Per Leonard, Schoen has essentially been “relegated to handling scouting” and the “rest of the building reports to Dawn.” In addition, both O’Connor and Leonard report that Aponte will report to Harbaugh, so it is beginning to look as if Harbaugh is encroaching quite a bit more than initially understood on the duties of the general manager.

O’Connor’s report doesn’t pose the situation as nearly as much of a takeover as Leonard is painting it out to be, though. He includes quotes from Harbaugh on how impressed he’s been with Schoen and how well they are working together as they both work on building the team’s new staff and future roster. But, if what Leonard claims is true, it’s hard not to believe that Schoen is getting quietly pushed into a corner. The Giants paid a lot of money and agreed to a lot of concessions in order to bring Harbaugh in to lead their team. Time will tell how each new change will affect the team’s future success.

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2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at February 15, 2026 10:15 pm

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 2-15-26 (10:15pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Drew Petzing)

  • Nathaniel Hackett, quarterbacks coach (Dolphins): Hired

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Zac Robinson)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Todd Monken)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Joe Brady)

  • Pete Carmichael Jr., senior offensive assistant (Broncos): Hire expected

Chicago Bears (Out: Declan Doyle)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Tommy Rees)

Denver Broncos (Out: Joe Lombardi)

  • Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach (Bills): Interviewed
  • Brian Johnson, pass-game coordinator (Commanders): Interviewed
  • Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Promoted

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Bears): Rehired

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Greg Olson)

  • Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach (Seahawks): Hired
  • Frisman Jackson, wide receivers coach (Seahawks): To interview

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

New York Jets (Out: Tanner Engstrand)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Arthur Smith)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Klint Kubiak)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Zach Orr)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Bobby Babich)

  • Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Hired

Cleveland Browns (Out: Jim Schwartz)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Patrick Graham)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Jesse Minter)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Anthony Weaver)

  • Sean Duggan, former linebackers coach (Packers): Hired
  • Clint Hurtt, defensive line coach (Eagles): Interviewed

New England Patriots (Out: Terrell Williams)

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Teryl Austin)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Robert Saleh)

  • Gus Bradley, assistant head coach (49ers): Interviewed
  • Raheem Morris, former head coach (Falcons): Hired
  • Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Browns): Rumored candidate
  • Joe Woods, defensive backs coach (Raiders): Interviewed

Tennessee Titans (Out: Dennard Wilson)

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

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Giants Finalize Coaching Staff Under Harbaugh

By | at February 15, 2026 9:16 pm

Teams around the NFL have been announcing their finalized coaching staffs for the 2026 football season, and the Giants joined the fray on Friday. We had already reported on several of the changes to new head coach John Harbaugh‘s staff, but there were a few new updates to be gleaned from the team’s announcement.

First, before the team’s announcement, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that former Titans linebackers coach Frank Bush would be joining the Giants as their new inside linebackers coach. Bush is very familiar with new Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Bush served as Wilson’s linebackers coach for the past two years in Tennessee. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, he also serves double duty as a mentor to Wilson.

Also, while Friday’s announcement was technically finalizing the team’s coaching staff, they will already be potentially looking to replace an assistant position coach. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, recently named assistant defensive line coach Matt Robinson will be heading to Las Vegas to join new Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard‘s staff.

Formerly, the Ravens outside linebackers coach, Robinson initially followed Harbaugh from Baltimore but will now join the Raiders as their new secondary coach. He will be reuniting with Leonard now, who worked alongside Robinson as outside linebackers coach for a year in Baltimore. Per Schefter, the Giants gave their permission for Robinson to leave and supported him in doing so.

The only other update concerning a position coach has to do with Willie Taggart. When it was first announced that he was joining New York’s staff, it was unclear what role the former Ravens running backs coach would hold as he was still a potential candidate to be offensive coordinator for the Giants. Ultimately, he will retain the title he had held in Baltimore with his new team.

The offense and defense both saw additions of assistant roles in the announcement. On offense, Noah Riley was named football analyst/quality control and Adam Schrack and Mike Snyder were both named offensive quality control. On defense, Brendan Clark was named defensive quality control. Riley, Schrack, and Clark all come over from Baltimore, where they most recently filled roles as defensive football analyst, offensive quality control, and defensive quality control, respectively. Snyder was most recently an offensive assistant for two years with the Texans and has experience with the Falcons and Bears, as well.

Lastly, the announcement showed the addition of T.J. Weist as assistant special teams coach and Megan Rosburg as assistant to the head coach/defensive assistant. Weist most recently spent five years assisting the Ravens with special teams but wasn’t retained with the team after the 2023 season. Rosburg, the daughter of former longtime Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg, will carry over a role similar to the one she held for the last four years in Baltimore.

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Giants HC John Harbaugh, Rex Ryan Discussed Defensive Coordinator Job

By | at February 15, 2026 10:27 am

When new Giants head coach John Harbaugh was assembling his staff in late January, he didn’t dismiss the possibility of hiring Rex Ryan as his defensive coordinator. That didn’t occur, but Harbaugh confirmed he discussed the position with Ryan.

“I talked to Rex about that job at length,” Harbaugh told Ian O’Connor of The Athletic. “Rex is a guy I love and have a lot of respect for.”

Harbaugh wound up passing on Ryan and other D-coordinator candidates in favor of Dennard Wilson, who ran the Titans’ defense from 2024-25. He chose Wilson after receiving a recommendation from rookie Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, O’Connor reports.

Now the successor to Harbaugh in Baltimore, Minter worked for him as a Ravens assistant from 2017-20. Like Minter, Ryan was also on Harbaugh’s staff at one point. In 2008, Harbaugh’s first year as a head coach, Ryan was in his fourth and final season as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. He left to become the Jets’ head coach the next year.

In Ryan’s first two seasons in charge, his ferocious defenses overcame Mark Sanchez‘s poor quarterback play to lead the Jets to back-to-back AFC title game appearances. However, the franchise has suffered through a league-worst 15-year playoff drought since then. From 2011-14, the first four years of the Jets’ skid, they mustered an ugly 26-38 mark. That led to Ryan’s ouster, but he immediately resurfaced as the Bills’ head coach in 2015.

While Ryan at least experienced some success with the Jets, his tenure in Buffalo was fruitless and fleeting. After winning 15 of 31 games, the Bills pulled the plug on Ryan with a week left in the 2016 season.

Now a 63-year-old ESPN analyst, Ryan hasn’t coached anywhere since the Bills fired him. The possibility of Ryan returning to New York as the Giants’ DC will go down as an interesting what-if, but Harbaugh will roll with Wilson instead.

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NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/13/26

By | at February 13, 2026 6:32 pm

There were two reserve/futures deals signed in the NFL today:

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

  • DE Jalan Gaines

After the Seahawks announced 15 reserve/futures deals yesterday, two members of their practice squad from last year found deals today. Gaines, a rookie who signed as an undrafted free agent with Seattle out of Illinois State, will remain with the team for the offseason. Jackon, an undrafted rookie who spent the summer in Denver before making his way to Seattle after failing to make the 53-man roster, finds his third NFL home within a calendar year as he heads to New York.

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Giants’ Charlie Bullen Withdraws From DC Searches, Signs Extension

By | at February 13, 2026 9:09 am

Despite interest from the Browns and Cardinals, Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen will stay put in 2026, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Bullen has withdrawn from defensive coordinator searches in favor of a contract extension with the Giants. He’ll also add run-game coordinator to his duties.

Next season will be the third in New York for Bullen, who joined then-head coach Brian Daboll‘s staff in 2024. Two weeks after the Giants fired Daboll last November, interim head coach Mike Kafka canned defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Kafka handed interim DC responsibilities to Bullen for the rest of the year.

Although the Giants’ defense improved on Bullen’s watch, his future had hung in the air since the Giants brought in new head coach John Harbaugh in mid-January. Harbaugh went on to pick Dennard Wilson as his defensive coordinator. However, evidenced by Bullen’s extension and promotion, the 41-year-old has clearly won over Harbaugh.

In his first season working with Harbaugh and Wilson, Bullen will play a key role in attempting to improve a bottom-of-the-barrel run defense. The 2025 Giants gave up 145.3 rushing yards per game, the worst mark in the NFC and the second-highest figure in the league. Only the Bengals (147.1) had a tougher time against opposing ground games.

Meanwhile, both Cleveland and Arizona have now seen two potential defensive coordinators withdraw from their searches. Texans defensive backs coach Dino Vasso elected to stay in Houston last week. Bullen is also content in his current role, leaving rookie Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur and first-year Browns HC Todd Monken to look elsewhere.

The Cardinals may already have their answer in incumbent D-coordinator Nick Rallis, whom they’re expected to retain. The next DC in Cleveland will have an especially difficult act to follow replacing the acclaimed Jim Schwartz, who resigned after the team didn’t promote him to head coach.

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Cor’Dale Flott Changes Agents Ahead Of FA

By | at February 12, 2026 5:33 pm

With the new league year just around the corner, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott is changing his representation as he prepares to leave the Giants and hit free agency, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.

Flott, 24, was previously represented by AthElite Agency and will now be moving to Athletes First, one of the most prominent agencies in the NFL. Their client list includes Jordan Love, Justin Herbert, Micah Parsons, and Kyle Hamilton, among many others.

Originally a third-round pick out of LSU in 2022, Flott started six games for the Giants as a rookie and seven in his second year. He moved to a bigger role in 2024 with 10 starts and started all 14 games in which he appeared in 2025. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound cornerback has not appeared in more than 14 games in a season due to injuries, though he only landed on IR once, at the end of the 2025 season.

Flott’s resume should position him for a solid payday in a market that has risen significantly in the last year. There are a number of solid cornerbacks set to hit free agency, but Flott will be the youngest one with meaningful starting experience. He only has three interceptions in his career, but he amassed 23 passes defended. He had 11 in 2025 alone, along with a career-low 52.2% completion rate and 73.3 passer rating when targeted.

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Offseason Outlook: New York Giants

By | at February 11, 2026 11:29 pm

The Giants have finished with double-digit losses nine times since the 2014 season. The second half of Eli Manning's career has stalled his path to Canton, while Daniel Jones bombed on his second contract. The latter development led Brian Daboll to the firing precipice, but the Giants still let their embattled head coach drive the bus for a Jones successor. Struggles closing games in Jaxson Dart's rookie year prompted the franchise to fire Daboll, but GM Joe Schoen remains.

This offseason included several instances of teams holding HCs accountable for undesired results while keeping GMs employed. Schoen, however, has drifted downward in the Giants' organizational pecking order. After four unsuccessful coaching hires post-Tom Coughlin, the Giants swung big and landed this market's top prize. John Harbaugh agreed to take over in New York, and the longtime Baltimore leader now runs the show. The Super Bowl-winning HC will be tasked with turning around a franchise that has not experienced sustained success since Manning's early years.

Coaching/front office:

The Chiefs' reign atop the AFC held back the Bills and Ravens, with only the Bengals sneaking through to a Super Bowl between 2019-24. Buffalo also bested Baltimore twice in the playoffs during Lamar Jackson's run. More Jackson injury trouble surfaced in 2025, and a do-or-die game going the Steelers' way without D.K. Metcalf available proved too much for Steve Bisciotti to stomach. The Ravens' 8-9 season ended with Harbaugh refusing to separate from OC Todd Monken, with the coach's relationship with Jackson not believed to be on solid ground by season's end. The Ravens fired their 18-year head coach soon after Tyler Loop's season-ending missed field goal.

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Giants To Hire Brian Callahan As Quarterbacks Coach

By | at February 11, 2026 7:52 am

FEBRUARY 11: The Giants are hiring Callahan as their QBs coach and passing-game coordinator, per Garafalo and NFL Network colleague Ian Rapoport.

FEBRUARY 10: Brian Callahan has been unemployed since his tenure as head coach of the Titans ended midway through the 2025 season. The veteran staffer was also shut out of the offensive coordinator hiring cycle.

Nevertheless, Callahan may soon have his next gig lined up. He will interview with the Giants for the role of quarterbacks coach, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. That is a position familiar to Callahan. The meeting will take place today, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan adds.

After entering the NFL coaching ranks in Denver, Callahan worked as a QBs coach with the Lions for two seasons (2016-17). That was followed by a one-year stint with the Raiders in the same capacity. Callahan was then hired by the Bengals to serve as their offensive coordinator in 2019; he remained in Cincinnati for five years before receiving his first head coaching opportunity.

Callahan did not call plays over the course of his Bengals tenure, but he was tasked with guiding the Titans’ offense upon arrival in 2024. Tennessee went 3-14 during the 41-year-old’s first (and only) full season at the helm. Tennessee got off to a 1-5 start in 2025, resulting in Callahan’s dismissal. No interest in any of the league’s 10 HC openings emerged in his case during this winter’s hiring cycle.

Callahan did find himself on the radar of multiple teams during their searches for an offensive coordinator, however. That included a connection to the Giants while they contemplated their options upon finding out Todd Monken would no longer be available. New York wound up hiring Matt Nagy as OC, giving John Harbaugh an experienced member of his staff. Callahan would represent another veteran presence for the Giants.

2025 first-rounder Jaxson Dart took over starting duties after Russell Wilson was benched early this past season. The development of Dart, 22, will be the franchise’s top priority while Harbaugh and Co. aim to lead the Giants back to contention. That effort could soon include Callahan handling an important role in New York.

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Browns To Conduct DC Interview With Aubrey Pleasant; Team Requests Jonathan Cooley, Charlie Bullen Meetings

By | at February 9, 2026 1:39 pm

With the Browns‘ head coaching position going to Todd Monken, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will not be with the team any longer. His resignation has created a DC opening in Cleveland for the first time in three years.

The list of candidates to replace Schwartz has grown. Rams defensive pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant will speak with the Browns this afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Meanwhile, Charlie Bullen, currently the outside linebackers coach of the Giants, has received a Browns interview request, per Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo.

Both Pleasant and Bullen are also candidates for the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator opening. That is not the case for Panthers defensive pass-game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, but he too is on Cleveland’s radar. Cooley has received a DC interview request as well, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Pleasant’s first NFL coaching gig came in 2013. That season, he worked as an intern with the Browns. Since then, the former UDFA has held a number of roles on various NFL teams. Much of Pleasant’s coaching career has come with the Rams, though. He has worked with the team during two different stints; back in Los Angeles since 2023, he received the added title of assistant head coach one year later.

Bullen is also a veteran staffer, with experience at the college and pro levels. The 41-year-old joined the Giants’ staff in 2024, and he took over from Shane Bowen midway through this past campaign after Bowen’s dismissal. New York brought in Dennard Wilson as defensive coordinator, ensuring Bullen would not receive the gig on a full-time basis. His first full season leading a defense would come about in 2026 in the event of a Browns (or Cardinals) hire.

Cooley had not been connected to any D-coordinator openings prior to today. A former Rams staffer, he worked under Ejiro Evero in Los Angeles. The two were reunited in Carolina in 2023. Cooley worked as the Panthers’ secondary coach during his first season with the team. For the past two years, he has held his current title.

Via PFR’s Coordinator Search Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand with the Browns:

  • Ephraim Banda, safeties coach (Browns): Interviewed
  • Charlie Bullen, defensive pass-game coordinator (Giants): Interview requested
  • Jonathan Cooley, defensive pass-game coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
  • Aubrey Pleasant, defensive pass-game coordinator (Rams): To interview 2/9
  • Jason Tarver, linebackers coach (Browns): Interviewed
  • Cory Undlin, defensive pass-game coordinator (Texans): Mentioned as candidate
  • Dino Vasso, defensive backs coach (Texans): Mentioned as candidate; withdrew from search
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