The New York Giants have reeled in the biggest fish of the 2026 head coaching cycle.
Former Baltimore Ravens coach and Super Bowl-winner John Harbaugh is expected to be hired as the Giants' next head coach, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday morning. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the two sides are finalizing a five-year contract that will make Harbaugh one of the NFL's highest-paid coaches.
ESPN first reported that Harbaugh was set to agree to a deal with New York.
On Saturday, Rapoport, Garafolo and NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported that New York and Harbaugh have at long last finalized the deal.
New York, which fired Brian Daboll in November, hosted Harbaugh on his first official in-person interview with a team on Wednesday, but there had been myriad conversations previously with the longtime Ravens head coach, Rapoport previously reported.
It was evident that Harbaugh, 63, was Big Blue's No. 1 choice to lead the Giants into the 2026 season and beyond. And they got him.
After 18 seasons helming the Ravens, Harbaugh was fired two days after Baltimore's Week 18 Sunday night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a showdown for the AFC North title and the conference's final playoff berth. Baltimore fell short of its Super Bowl expectations, but Harbaugh's list of suitors was long in the immediate aftermath of his ousting.
In addition to the Giants, the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans had also courted Harbaugh, with the Titans reported to be sending a contingent to Baltimore to interview Harbaugh on Thursday morning. It never got that far, though.
Harbaugh ultimately granted the wish of his younger brother, Jim, as the Los Angeles Chargers head coach predicted whatever team John coached in 2026 would be "formidable," but hoped it would be an NFC squad.
During Harbaugh's nearly two-decade-long tenure with the Ravens, which began in 2008, the Giants cycled through five full-time head coaches. The last four -- Daboll, Joe Judge, Pat Shurmur and Ben McAdoo -- have come and gone since Tom Coughlin's resignation following the 2015 season.
Owners of four Super Bowl trophies, the Giants, established in 1925, are one of the league's oldest and most esteemed franchises, but haven't won or been to a Super Bowl since the 2011 season. Their success since has been minimal, with wild-card berths in 2016 and 2022 standing as outliers in an otherwise dreary 15 years since Coughlin, Eli Manning and Co. last hoisted a Lombardi Trophy.
Harbaugh will be tasked with returning New York to the perennial NFC heavyweight it once was.
Though the Giants are coming off a 4-13 season and have recorded just 13 wins over the past three years, the cupboard is hardly bare.
2025 first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was part of Harbaugh's interview with the team on Tuesday, is a dual threat who showed mountains of potential as a rookie. Elsewhere offensively, left tackle Andrew Thomas is among the NFL's elite at the position, 2024 first-rounder Malik Nabers and 2025 rookie running back Cam Skattebo are both on comeback trails from season-ending injuries. Defensively, the Giants boast a noteworthy front led by Pro Bowler Brian Burns along with Dexter Lawrence and No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter.
Harbaugh's impact on the Giants is unlikely to be massive schematic alterations, but rather in changing the culture in the building and constructing confidence. Among his first orders of business will be assembling his staff.
Garafolo and Rapoport reported on Thursday that Todd Monken, who was Harbaugh's offensive coordinator the past three seasons in Baltimore, will be part of Harbaugh's new staff in New York.
Just how he works with general manager Joe Schoen in determining the team infrastructure will be a huge offseason storyline.
Harbaugh, who is taking on just his third NFL job despite coaching in the league for nearly three decades, is actually returning to the NFC East.
From 1998 to 2007, he was the Philadelphia Eagles special teams coordinator before he began a celebrated tenure with the Ravens in 2008.
Harbaugh holds a 180-113 regular-season record, the winningest coach in Ravens history by 100 victories. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens went to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 years, won six AFC North titles and won Super Bowl XLVII.
When the Ravens fell so far short of lofty expectations in 2025, however, he was dismissed.
His name was instantly attached to the Giants, seemingly a stellar fit: a celebrated veteran coach with a long history of winning and a renowned franchise long searching for the right general to march them back to prominence.
With Harbaugh having made his decision, the hiring cycle is sure to speed up, but all that matters in Gotham is the Giants got their guy.
