Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh speaks throughout a press convention after an NFL soccer recreation in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
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Carolyn Kaster/AP
John Harbaugh agreed Saturday to change into coach of the New York Giants, finalizing the big-market, longstanding franchise’s all-out pursuit of its prime candidate.
House owners John Mara and Steve Tisch made the rent official lower than 72 hours after a prolonged interview and dinner with Harbaugh that sealed the deal. The perimeters started engaged on a contract Wednesday evening when it was clear Harbaugh was a match and he canceled conferences with different groups.
Harbaugh is anticipated to report on to possession, relatively than normal supervisor Joe Schoen.
“To function this franchise’s head coach is an amazing honor,” Harbaugh mentioned in a press release. “I come from a soccer household, and I’ve deep respect for the historical past and custom of this group.”
Harbaugh joins the Giants lower than two weeks after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, who made the playoffs 12 occasions in 18 seasons with him in cost and received the Tremendous Bowl within the 2012 season. Baltimore fell in need of the postseason this yr due to a missed kick on the buzzer within the season finale, main possession to make an change and put Harbaugh available on the market.
Schoen and the Giants pounced, bringing on a confirmed winner. Harbaugh was flown in on co-owner Steve Tisch’s non-public airplane earlier this week, spent a number of hours on the staff facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey, spoke with younger quarterback Jaxson Dart and received wined and dined at close by Elia Mediterranean Restaurant.
With the courting course of full, Harbaugh is now tasked with turning across the beleaguered franchise that has made simply two playoff appearances over the previous 12 years and never made it previous the divisional spherical. Todd Monken may observe him from Baltimore to be offensive coordinator, until he takes a head-coaching gig in Cleveland or elsewhere.
“Joe Schoen offered us an impressive group of candidates, which allowed us to be deliberate and assured on this resolution,” Mara mentioned. “By means of quite a few conversations, John persistently stood out for his conviction and imaginative and prescient for main a successful group.”
Harbaugh received the job over the likes of Kevin Stefanski, Mike McCarthy, Raheem Morris and Antonio Pierce, leapfrogging some anticipated front-runners who received shuffled again as quickly because the 63-year-old turned obtainable. The prospect to work for steady possession and Dart made New York a beautiful touchdown spot over locations corresponding to Tennessee, Atlanta and Miami.
“John is a confirmed winner whose groups are disciplined, resilient, and ready,” Tisch mentioned. “His ardour for the sport, his skill to attach with gamers, and his expertise main on the highest degree made him an impressive match for us, and we’re excited to maneuver ahead collectively.”
The Giants have proficient items in place on both aspect of the ball, together with working again Cam Skattebo, receiver Malik Nabers and left sort out Andrew Thomas on offense, plus cross rushers Brian Burns and Abdul Carter and nostril sort out Dexter Lawrence on protection. They’ve the fifth choose within the draft so as to add to that stockpile.
Altering the tradition of shedding that has pervaded the Meadowlands for the higher a part of the final decade is now on Harbaugh’s shoulders. Counting playoff video games, the seven coaches who adopted 2007 and ’11 Tremendous Bowl champion Tom Coughlin have gone 45-105-1, a successful proportion of .300.
Harbaugh is 193-124 in 317 video games, a .609 successful proportion, since taking up the Ravens in 2008. He spent the earlier 10 seasons as an assistant with Philadelphia, principally as particular groups coordinator after which defensive backs coach.
Schoen, after discovering out from Tisch and co-owner John Mara that he was returning for a fifth yr as GM, mentioned the search wouldn’t be restricted to simply offensive- or defensive-minded choices. Whereas Harbaugh comes from a particular groups background, he offers the sort of all-around teaching Schoen was believed to be searching for, together with a championship pedigree and a status that ought to garner him rapid respect throughout the locker room.
That is Schoen’s second rent after bringing Brian Daboll with him from Buffalo, the place each have been assistants with the Payments, in January 2022. Possession fired Daboll on Nov. 10 after the Giants misplaced eight of the primary 10 video games in his fourth season as coach.
Mike Kafka coached out the string because the interim alternative after being promoted from offensive coordinator, and the staff misplaced 5 in a row earlier than successful its last two video games to complete with a 4-13 document. Kafka interviewed however was by no means a severe candidate for the full-time job.
Nearly nobody was in contrast with Harbaugh, giving the Giants an off-field win that is perhaps their greatest of any variety in a number of years.
“All through our conversations, John stood out for his readability, competitiveness and strategy for constructing a sustainable successful program,” Schoen mentioned. “He has a powerful observe document of growing gamers, constructing cohesive staffs, and setting a transparent commonplace of accountability. We’re excited to work with John in transferring this staff in the appropriate path.”
