The New York Giants intend to hire John Harbaugh as their head coach, a league source confirmed The Athletic, and are working to finalize a deal with the 63-year-old Super Bowl winner that would put him in charge of a team that has been one of the NFL’s worst over the past 10 years. ESPN was the first to report this development.
Harbaugh immediately jumped to the top of the Giants’ wish list after the Baltimore Ravens fired him this month after 18 seasons. Giants brass pursued him relentlessly, remaining in constant communication with the coach, before an in-person meeting on Wednesday provided the organization with an opportunity to close the deal. While the terms of Harbaugh’s contract are still being hammered out, it looks as though New York has landed its top target and will make him the 22nd head coach in franchise history.
Over his career in Baltimore, Harbaugh amassed 180 wins, the 14th-most in NFL history. Among coaches with at least 100 regular-season games on their resumes, Harbaugh’s .614 winning percentage (180-113) ranks 24th.
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 Joe Schoen, the general manager whom Giants ownership decided to retain despite the team’s 4-13 finish this season and 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 young quarterback Jaxson 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 punt 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 this season 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 the 2026 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.