Pro Football Rumors

It appears the first domino in this year’s head coaching hiring cycle is tumbling over. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, John Harbaugh and the Giants are “working to finalize an agreement to make him New York’s next head coach.” Barring any setbacks, the deal is expected to happen as Schefter claims that “Harbaugh is ready to accept the Giants’ deal, and the team is expected to hire him as soon as possible.”

Schefter made sure to make room for such a setback, nothing that “the deal is not final, and contract numbers still are being negotiated,” citing a source who claimed that “there still is a lot to work through.” Nothing’s certain until i’s are dotted and t’s crossed, but SportsNet New York’s Connor Hughes and Paul Schwartz of The New York Post both appear confident enough in the direction things are heading to say in some form or fashion that the Giants got their guy.

Harbaugh had an appointment set in the morning to meet with the Titans at his home for an in-person interview and later intended to do the same with the Falcons, but it appears that is no longer the case. With Harbaugh’s attention shifting now to hammering out the details of his imminent contract with the Giants, competing teams have been informed of his decision, likely meaning that those plans to meet have been cancelled.

Even before the moment Harbaugh became available following his dismissal after 18 years in Baltimore, the Giants were deeply interested in the prospect of him becoming their next head coach. After he was officially let go, New York immediately made it known that he was the frontrunner, in their eyes, to replace Brian Daboll in the head coaching position. What ensued was a full-court press starting from Day 1, as the next day, reports indicated that the franchise was “all-in” on landing the 62-year-old’s services.

After getting let go so unexpectedly, Harbaugh intended to take his time as the NFL’s most eligible bachelor. He took the week to gather information from interested parties but made it known that he didn’t intend to start doing any interviews until the following week. While the Falcons were the first team to officially interview Harbaugh, getting to him virtually, the Giants were close on their heels and the first to make contact in-person whenever he finally did make himself available. Board director and senior player personnel executive Chris Mara met Harbaugh for lunch the Sunday before the week began.

The Falcons, Giants, and Titans were all listed as initial frontrunners in the race to land Harbaugh’s signature. Atlanta’s new president of football Matt Ryan had a surprising connection with Harbaugh that drew his interest in that direction. In Tennessee, a young first-round quarterback overflowing with potential and surrounded by an incredible amount of cap space made the Titans an attractive option, as well. New York, though, continued to press Harbaugh with promises of everything he could want: salary, roster control, a young first-round quarterback of their own, also filled with potential.

This morning, it was announced that New York, the most aggressive team in this pursuit, would be hosting Harbaugh with in-person interviews with the Titans and Falcons to follow. It all started with team co-owner Steve Tisch sending his private plane to fly Harbaugh to New Jersey. What followed was an over-five-hour tour that allowed Harbaugh to meet with quarterback Jaxson Dart, the team’s other co-owner John Mara, general manager Joe Schoen, and several other members of the team’s front office. Harbaugh was even bombarded with phone calls from notable Giants alumni, including former quarterback Eli Manning, former head coach Tom Coughlin, and even recently fired coach Daboll, who “raved about his experience in the organization.”

Hughes pointed out that lots of offseason talk seemed to indicate that Schoen’s presence in New York would be a deterrent for a top coaching prospect like Harbaugh, but Schoen appears to be a major part of this potential deal getting this far. Schoen notably assured Harbaugh that he’s willing to cede some power for personnel decision-making to allow the head coach to have more say in roster decisions.

At the end of their day together, Harbaugh boarded his flight home to Baltimore, where he expected to be leaving for soon to meet with Tennessee in the morning. However, the Giants opted to step up their full-court press with an all-out blitz in the final moments. They gave their final pitches, made their best offers, and stalled Harbaugh’s plane for about two hours, making a major push to land their white whale. Ultimately, Harbaugh departed on that plane without having agreed to anything, but vibes in the building were still extremely positive in the wake of his departure.

It appears the full-court press did not end there, though, as these most recent reports broke to indicate Harbaugh would be withdrawing himself from consideration from other jobs to work towards finalizing a deal with New York. NFL insider Jordan Schultz claims the team will end up putting Harbaugh among the highest-paid coaches in NFL history, while Hughes notes that the team’s investment doesn’t stop there. The Giants are reportedly sparing no expense as they’ve also promised Harbaugh “the budget he needs to round out his staff as he sees fit.”

The Giants swung for the fences in their pursuit of Harbaugh, at times seeming embarrassingly forward in making their intentions known, but it all seems to be paying off, and it’s clear why they tried so hard. After seeing Coughlin lead the team for 12 years, the team ran through Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, and Daboll all over the next 10. According to Hughes, following the dismissal of Daboll, Schoen and the team made a list of traits they were looking for in their next head coach that required them to be a leader of men, be capable of captivating the locker room and rallying players, and be capable of restoring accountability amongst the players and staff. They have to feel good about how many boxes Harbaugh checks off there.

As for Harbaugh, he was dismissed from a team full of talent that continues to struggle to find its full potential — by the way, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley notes that Giants aren’t scheduled to meet the Ravens until the 2028 NFL season. He now finds himself on another team rife with talent. On the shoulders of Dart, running back Cam Skattebo, wide receiver Malik Nabers, offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and defensive ends Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, the Giants feel like they have a group of cornerstone franchise players, and it now looks like they have a coach to lead them.