The most aggressive team in the John Harbaugh pursuit will have a chance to make a sales pitch. Harbaugh is meeting with the Giants today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.
This will be the longtime Ravens HC’s second meeting since becoming a coaching free agent; the Falcons received the first, meeting with him Monday. This will, however, be Harbaugh’s first in-person meeting, NFL.com adds.
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Both John Mara and Steve Tisch are expected to be at the meeting, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan and Ian O’Connor. The Giants have satisfied the Rooney Rule, which required HC-seeking teams to interview at least two external minority candidates, meaning they could make a hire today if they chose.
Harbaugh has been connected to the Titans, Dolphins and Browns as well; as it stands, Atlanta, New York and Tennessee have been viewed as the frontrunners. But no known interviews have been scheduled there just yet, and Rapoport adds there is a chance Harbaugh does not leave the building without a deal in place today. A Titans meeting is believed to be in Harbaugh’s plans, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz. The Falcons would also like to bring Harbaugh in for an in-person meeting, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes.
Joining the Falcons in monitoring Harbaugh’s Ravens status before his firing, the Giants have been in heavy on the Super Bowl-winning HC since his Baltimore ouster. The Giants came up as a team “all in” on Harbaugh quickly and team exec Chris Mara — John’s brother — had lunch with the free agent coach recently. Countless conversations have occurred between Harbaugh and the Giants, per Rapoport, raising the stakes for this in-person meeting. Chris Mara and Joe Schoen will be at this meeting as well, Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano tweets.
The Giants are believed to appeal to Harbaugh in part because of their Jaxson Dart draft choice in last year’s first round. New York has plenty of needs and has won more than six games in a season just once over the past nine years. The team also is retaining Schoen, though it should be expected a Harbaugh hire would reduce the fifth-year GM’s power in the organization. Harbaugh is not believed to covet full personnel control, however.
New York already went with a coach carrying a special teams background, hiring Joe Judge in 2020, but Harbaugh obviously transcends such status by now. He led the Ravens for 18 years, winning a Super Bowl and reaching four AFC championship games. A failure to reach a Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson doomed Harbaugh in Baltimore, but as many as nine teams — including some with HCs employed — contacted him hours after his firing.
There are now nine HC vacancies, but with Mike Tomlin not viewed as likely to dive into this pool (instead eyeing a TV role for 2026), Harbaugh is the biggest fish out there. He may make the first move to shape this year’s market.
Now 63, Harbaugh will undoubtedly be seeking a team that can present ingredients to win immediately. With the Giants entering Week 17 in the No. 1 overall draft slot (before falling to No. 5), it is worth wondering if they have the best case among interested teams. But Dart’s presence on a rookie contract (through at least 2027) does give New York a selling point some of the other teams angling for a splash hire do not.
Harbaugh is believed to have spent the weekend discussing arrangements with potential assistants. A decision could be coming soon, and the Giants’ pitch will be a key storyline as this chase continues.