New York Giants This moment focused on John Harbaugh he was fired from his job From Baltimore Ravens. They officially launched him as their new head coach Saturday with a five-year deal.
The Giants had gone 7-27 the previous two seasons and knew it was possible that Harbaugh could be free. They were doing their due diligence in finding a proven, winning head coach. This proved valuable.
Harbaugh, 63, spent the last 18 seasons coaching Baltimore RavensGoing 180-113 and winning a Super Bowl first He was fired on January 6 After missing the playoffs. He succeeds Brian Daboll, who was fired in november. Mike Kafka served as interim coach for the Giants’ final seven games.
Harbaugh was considered a top coaching candidate around the league. He was the Giants’ top pick and landing him was a big move for the organization, which was hoping to become a legacy hire for owner John Mara.
This also bodes well for Harbaugh’s brother, los angeles chargers Coach Jim Harbaugh recently said: “Like I told him, any team he goes to is going to be tremendous.
“Just hope it happens in the NFC.”
It’s quite lucky for Jim – and Giants will not play Chargers in 2026. Meanwhile, the NFC East should begin to prepare for a more difficult challenge.
ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan, Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley, national NFL reporter Dan Graziano, NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reed and NFL analyst Ben Solak answer key questions about why Harbaugh landed with the Giants – and what’s next in New York.
As far as Giants are concerned, why John Harbaugh?
Just look at the resume. Why not? He is a Super Bowl-winning head coach who has made the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons. The Giants have made the playoffs only twice in the last 15 years. He needed instant credibility. A league source who has been following their coaching search closely had the impression last week that their head coaching hire would have previous experience. It meant a lot to him in this process.
Well, at the same time Harbaugh became an NFL head coach eli manning Celebrating its first Super Bowl in 2008. Several players have also told ESPN that they feel the organization needs discipline and a coach with a track record of demanding respect from the entire locker room as soon as he arrives. Harbaugh does that. –Ranan
What are the realistic expectations for the Giants in the near and long term with Harbaugh?
A source said Harbaugh is expected to earn around $20 million per season. So, obviously, expectations are very high, especially from such a young quarterback. jackson dart already exists. It’s easy to say that the Giants could be next year’s new England Patriots Or Chicago Bears With a new coach in Year 1, but they have a lot of work to do before they get to that point in terms of roster construction.
This may be Harbaugh’s biggest early challenge – building a roster the way he wants with the right people in the room. But make no mistake, the long-term expectations are to become a Super Bowl contender. The Giants and Harbaugh think he has the core and organizational structure to do it, and potentially become the first coach to win Super Bowls for two different franchises. –Ranan
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Orlowski: This is the best day for the Giants since winning the Super Bowl
Dan Orlowski and Andrew Hawkins react to the possibility of John Harbaugh becoming the next Giants head coach.
Why did Harbaugh choose the Giants over other teams to open?
Let’s start with ownership. They did a full-court press on Harbaugh and opened the vault. He is being paid well and has also been allowed to build a large coaching and support staff. He therefore promised the resources necessary for a successful operation. The Dart was also a major part of the sales pitch. Harbaugh did his homework on quarterbacks and came away impressed by the available job opportunities. The two met one-on-one on Wednesday during a two-hour visit to DART’s facility.
The Giants also traded Harbaugh on their young core (Dart, WR). malik naborsLT Andrew ThomasOLB brian burns And abdul carter and dt dexter lawrence ii) in addition to the draft capital, salary cap space and financial flexibility to build the team Harbaugh desires. they were better off than tennessee titans And atlanta falconsamong others who were interested in his services. –Ranan
How will Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen work together?
The bottom line here is that Scion’s presence didn’t prevent the Giants from reaching out to their clear top option. In fact, he played a large role in the discovery and recruitment of Harbaugh. We’ll have to see how this actually works out, but to date there’s been nothing to suggest that Harbaugh isn’t willing to work with the holdover Giants general manager.
Harbaugh will undoubtedly have an important role. That’s what happens when you hire a head coach with that kind of pedigree. The question will be how much. This is definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward. –Ranan
How can Harbaugh get the most out of the dart? What’s going to be different for the Dart Versus? lamar jackson?
First, by bringing in the right offensive coordinator. All signs point to Todd Monken being the same guy, unless he is hired as head coach. Monken helped Jackson reach the next level as a passer and hopefully he can do the same for Dart, who shined as a rookie.
But there is still work to do. Dart completed a league-low 34% of his passes under pressure last season. He should be helped by Harbaugh’s experience creating offenses and systems with a quarterback who makes a large portion of the plays off-script and with his legs. There will also be a heavy focus on the running game. Philosophically this will never change. –Ranan
Just look at how Harbaugh has helped Jackson at different stages of his career. Harbaugh ran the Ravens like a CEO and had a hand in every part of the team, including Jackson’s development. In Jackson’s second season, Harbaugh promoted Greg Roman to offensive coordinator due to his expertise in a heavy run-pass option scheme. The result: Jackson redefined the game’s most important position, becoming the first player in league history to have over 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season.
When Jackson was ready to take his passing game to the next level in 2023, Harbaugh hired Monken to replace Roman as offensive coordinator. Jackson won his second MVP in 2023 and then recorded career highs of 4,172 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes. Harbaugh may not call the plays, but he creates an attitude and environment conducive to success for the young quarterback. — Hensley
What are we hearing around the league on hires?
Harbaugh was the top candidate, so congratulations to the Giants on getting him. They were aggressive to such an extent that they did not even hold another meeting, canceling a meeting scheduled for Thursday in Baltimore. tennessee titans My understanding from executives late Wednesday night was that people around the league felt the Giants would have an advantage because of their tradition and Harbaugh’s affinity for NFL history, as well as the presence of a promising young quarterback in the darts.
Harbaugh fielded several questions about the organizational structure and future plans for the team’s facilities during his time in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Wednesday. (He’s coming from Baltimore, where the Ravens did a massive upgrade of their entire building a few years ago.) But it sounds like he’s heard everything he needed to hear.
Some people told me that Harbaugh was the likeliest candidate to restore the kind of stability the Giants have lacked since moving on from Tom Coughlin after the 2015 season. — graziano
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Why wasn’t Stephen A surprised by the Giants hiring John Harbaugh?
Stephen A. Smith reacted to the news of John Harbaugh’s preparation to become the next Giants head coach.
Now what are the resulting coaching carousel dominoes?
titans and atlanta falcons Harbaugh had two other teams on his short list, so he will need to move on. Assuming Matt LaFleur’s extension is completed green Bay Packers (The Hopefully it will happenLeague sources told ESPN on Saturday), the next name to watch could be East cleveland browns Coach Kevin Stefanski. He has had plenty of interviews everywhere and is interested in moving on to another head coaching job immediately if the situation is right. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Falcons and/or Titans try to land Stefanski by taking Harbaugh off the market soon.
Teams who knew they weren’t getting Harbaugh are continuing their search, and now that the first domino has fallen, we could see quite a bit of movement moving in and out before this weekend. A side effect is that teams that were considering Monken for offensive coordinator may be out of luck, as he is now the strong favorite to go with Harbaugh to the Giants. — graziano
How can Harbaugh make his new team better? Number 5 in the draft?
Harbaugh brings a ‘win now’ attitude to the Giants and the same can be said for the team’s draft strategy as New York looks for an immediate starter in the top five.
with malik nabors Having an ACL tear and van’dale robinson Entering free agency, receiver is one of the Giants’ top needs. of ohio state carnell tate and the state of Arizona jordan tyson There are top names in the position, but USC’s corn lemon Could also be an option. I presented Tet to the giants In my mock draft earlier this monthAnd I love his sophisticated route running and ability to create separation. He caught nine touchdowns this season.
Even the perfect tackle can quickly become a hole german elyumunor Is set to hit free agency and could cash in on a new deal elsewhere. so i’m watching miami Francis MauigoaMy top-rated offensive lineman. He is considered a plug-and-play starter at the next level. of utah spencer fan May also be under consideration; He has great mobility qualities. — reed
How would you rate this appointment?
grade A. The Giants have been cycling through head coaches for a decade since Coughlin retired and are in need of a steady hand at the top. Harbaugh has plenty of team-building and playoff experience, and his work with a mobile quarterback in Jackson will benefit the Darts.
One reason Harbaugh was unsuccessful in Baltimore was his difficulty hiring the right coordinators, so now all eyes will be on his staff. Harbaugh is a strong hire that the Giants were wise to secure before he had a chance to talk to other teams in person. — Solak
