BREAKING: John Harbaugh Will Be the Giants’ Next Head Coach
John Harbaugh is coming to New York. In a monumental move for the franchise, the Giants convinced Harbaugh, whom they deemed their guy, to become their next head coach.
After 18 seasons in Baltimore, which ended in heartbreaking elimination from playoff contention, the Ravens decided it was time for a change at the helm. Harbaugh comes from an elite coaching family, and he holds a 180-113 regular-season record, a 13-11 postseason record, and one Super Bowl title (2012 season).
Harbaugh is prepared to work with general manager Joe Schoen, whom he doesn’t fear as a collaborative partner. Schoen has received significant criticism for failing to build a consistent winning team since the Giants hired him in 2022. However, Schoen gets credit for drafting Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ new franchise quarterback, who posted a successful rookie campaign despite coaching turnover.
Dart made an appearance at the Giants’ meeting with Harbaugh, which included round-trip service to and from Baltimore on Steve Tisch’s private jet, and an early dinner. The Giants had a very successful day courting their top coaching candidate in the penultimate step of his hiring. The Giants had already made extensive efforts to sign Harbaugh since the Ravens fired him on January 6. Additionally, Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and even ex-head coach Brian Daboll encouraged Harbaugh to take the Giants job.
To Schoen’s credit, he led a successful 2025 draft, signing highly touted pass rusher Abdul Carter, running back Cam Skattebo, and tackle Marcus Mbow in addition to Dart. Carter struggled at the start of the season, but once he began attending practices on time, his numbers improved. He was one of the best rookies in the league at recording quarterback pressures.
Meanwhile, Skattebo invigorated the Giants’ locker room with his explosive, entertaining personality, and Mbow proved to be a productive substitute on an offensive line that has struggled for most of Schoen’s tenure. However, Big Blue’s offensive line exhibited significant improvement this season.
Schoen was also responsible for signing Brian Burns in free agency two years ago, and his 16.5 sacks ranked second in the NFL this season. When healthy, the Giants’ defensive line and pass rushing unit, which includes Carter, Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Micah McFadden, and Bobby Okereke, is one of the strongest in the NFL.
This leaves the Giants’ secondary as the biggest hole Schoen still needs to fill. Paulson Adebo and Jevón Holland were strong additions this season, but there wasn’t enough depth behind them. After several defensive collapses and gut-wrenching losses, caused, in part, by their poor secondary, the Giants fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen midway through the season. Hopefully, Harbaugh will bring in a new defensive coordinator who has a deeper, more talented secondary to work with.
Scheon was also criticized for his inability to sign a healthy, NFL-caliber kicker, but rookie Ben Sauls took over for the final few games, and he was effective. Harbaugh was formerly a special teams coach, so he understands the importance of the placekicker position. Former Raven Justin Tucker was one of the best placekickers in NFL history, and Harbaugh coached him for 13 seasons.
Dart, Skattebo, Carter, and Malik Nabers highlight a young core of Giants, which is surrounded by excellent veteran leadership, including Lawrence, Okereke, Darius Slayton, and Jameis Winston. This is a compelling foundation for a successful future in East Rutherford, which will now involve John Harbaugh.
Despite a disappointing 2025 season, which ended with a 4-13 record and the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the state of the Giants is positive. The future is bright. And John Harbaugh will help make it so.
This is a historic moment for the New York Football Giants.
