John Harbaugh and the New York Giants proved to be a match, agreeing to a contract expected to become official on Thursday.
According to multiple reports, the Giants offered Harbaugh a five-year deal that could be worth as much as $100 million.
The 63-year-old head coach was only out of work eight days after the Baltimore Ravens fired him over the phone last week, ending their 18-year partnership after missing the playoffs.
Harbaugh was at the team facility on Wednesday for his only in-person interview after spending time with personnel executive Chris Mara on Sunday. Mara, the son of Giants co-chairman John Mara, had lunch and what he said was an informal meeting at Harbaugh’s home.
ESPN reported Harbaugh did plenty of homework on the franchise to the extent of receiving assurances from Brian Daboll he would be working with a quality organization. Daboll was fired in November.
After leading the Ravens to the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons on the job, Harbaugh and Baltimore went 8-9 in 2025. The Ravens missed a last-second field-goal attempt in the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a kick that would have sent them to the playoffs had it been made. But owner Steve Bisciotti said this week that even if the field goal had gone through, Harbaugh might have only stayed with the team for another week.
Harbaugh amassed a 180-113 regular-season mark as Baltimore’s coach, plus a 13-11 playoff record. He guided the Ravens to the Super Bowl championship after the 2012 season, beating the San Francisco 49ers (coached by his brother Jim) for the title.
Including the Giants, nine NFL teams are making a change at head coach.
Harbaugh’s first interview after his ouster from the Ravens was with the Giants.
The Atlanta Falcons conducted a video interview with Harbaugh on Monday, and the Tennessee Titans were set to speak with him on Thursday before the sitdown was canceled.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen admitted this month he has been researching candidates for more than two months since Daboll was fired with a 20-40-1 record after the Giants’ 10th game. One of those losses was a 35-14 defeat at the hands of Harbaugh and the Ravens in 2024.
Harbaugh’s record of success with quarterback Lamar Jackson, a first-round pick in 2018, was impeccable: The Ravens’ 86 wins from 2018-25 trail only the Kansas City Chiefs’ 96.
During the same timeframe, the Giants had just one winning season — Daboll guided them to a 9-7-1 mark in 2022. New York went 4-13 this season after finishing 3-14 in 2024.
–Field Level Media
