It took no time for former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to draw interest from other NFL teams.
No club appears to be more invested than the Giants, who are “all-in” in securing the 62-year-old coach, per SNY’s Connor Hughes. They were among the first teams with reported interest, though several followed suit. Among them are the Falcons, who are “increasingly interested,” according to Hughes.
Teams will be looking to move fast to secure Harbaugh’s services. He could meet with the Giants as early as this weekend (via The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor), as they have already begun interviewing their candidates. Their other potential hires include ex-Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was seen as an early frontrunner before Harbaugh became available.
Harbaugh may have a similar effect on other head coaching searches. That could raise questions about the NFL’s Rooney Rule, especially if a team fires their current head coach to hire Harbaugh. They would still have to interview at least two minority candidates under the Rooney Rule, but those would clearly be shams, resulting in declined interviews and/or punishment from the NFL. Going to New York or Atlanta, who already have openings and interview requests out to multiple minority candidates, might be the cleanest outcome.
Like the Giants, the Falcons have a young quarterback in place, though he may not have the same affinity for Michael Penix Jr. that he reportedly does for Jaxson Dart. But Atlanta’s roster is stocked with young talent on both sides of the ball that would keep Harbaugh out of a rebuilding situation he would likely prefer to avoid. New York seems like a bigger risk for that kind of scenario, though Harbaugh may also want to spearhead a rebuild for his second act, too. And of course, even a single offseason of heavy investment via the trade, free agency, and the trade market could get the Giants back in playoff contention next year.
Of course, Harbaugh will still need to close the deal in his interviews. He is going in with the huge advantage of his pedigree and the respect he commands around the NFL, but the Ravens did not fire him for no reason. He will need to prove he can still remain adaptable to the modern league and continue to connect with players four decades his junior.
I say bring him down south
It would be wild seeing Harbaugh in ATL…but I’m here for it!
I say bring him up north
Agh!
Go West – LV
I expect he’d rather stay in the NFL.
The Giants do seem like the most logical spot.
I would think Atlanta is more appealing based on roster and the gm opening, he can bring a Baltimore exec along with him to take the gm job. If that’s important, maybe the giants pull a Jacksonville and fire schoen to get their man
Atlanta’s QB situation is up in the air, Pitts is a UFA, and they don’t have a 1st round pick. I don’t see it as particularly appealing when they went 3-6 with their QB of the future (Penix) and 5-3 with a QB they seem to be showing the door (Cousins). There are flaws in all of the open situations, but Giants vs Falcons, I would take Dart/Nabers/Skattebo/Tracy with a solid OL (including Andrew Thomas) and Burns/Carter/Lawrence, with the ability to add a top flight rookie at #5, over the Falcons. Falcons division is more wide open, though, with an easier path to the playoffs.
I hope your second part is right and that Harbaugh demands Schoen’s firing and gets it.
Exactly….Atlanta is saddled with a $180 million dollar veteran who was an outcast until Pennix got hurt again (problems with him being hurt in college also), and given that everything on a team starts with the right QB….this is a mess he probably would like to avoid even with bringing in his own GM to work the roster with…..if the Marras/Tisch decide that Harbaugh is the guy, Schoen might be a gonner…..
If the Giants hire Harbaugh, Schoen would become an empty suit for the rest of his contract.
And his contract is up next year…..big deal….
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
It would make it way more interesting to put the coaches names on a slip of paper, put them in a hat, and let the owners/ general managers draw a name. The NFL Network could make a big show of it like they do with the draft.
It has been reported that at least 4 to 5 teams have inquired about the potential availability of the empty suit and at least 2 of those teams already have empty suits in the same position!
If the Falcons can get Harbaugh or Robert Saleh, then I think they very well could be a fun and dangerous team to watch next season.
Arthur Blank needs to take a step back, and if he is going to hire Matt Ryan and either Harbaugh or Saleh, then he truly needs to empower them and let them make the decisions that impact he Falcons play on the field.
Too often Arthur Blank has kept around his “yes men” like Rich McKay. He has empowered and emboldened them to do his bidding, yet, despite literally everyone else affiliated with the franchise wanting Rich McKay out, Arthur Blank just lied repeatedly and said McKay would no longer influence any on the field decisions, and he would be dismissed. Instead, Blank just changed his title, kept him around lurking in the shadows like the creeper he is, and still had the testicular fortitude to include him on the Falcons’ Sunday conference calls/progress reports after games.
So, unless Blank let’s go, and gives Ryan and Harbaugh or Ryan and Saleh the keys to the franchise, it will just he more of the same…Another losing season after another, because no coach worth a darn is going to put up with his consistent meddling.
Saleh has the correct pieces on the Falcons defense for him to be extremely successful. I am just not sure if Saleh wants to go to another franchise who doesn’t have a ready,starting caliber QB. There is Penix, but I dont think anyone is convinced he is the Falcons long-term answer…
Blank is’t going to let go….case closed….
Don’t be so quick on Cousins. Even with the re-structure it doesn’t mean they necessarily want him gone. Dropping him comes with a CAP hit and adding a vet to start the first half or whatever it takes for Penix to be ready will cost a good bit as well. It’s really not practical given how well Cousins fared … with Drake London for five of his starts and in two others Drake was clearly not 100%.
I completely agree on Blank being to loyal. McKay should have been gone long ago. Fontenot actually had some decent drafts and moves, at least compared to the McKay nonsense .. all the way up to the Penix pick. That pick made some sense, but man, Penix has not lived up to his billing. That being said, losing his blindside protector just before the season started sure made things a mess.
Got a hunch that when the dust settles, Harbaugh will be in Dallas.