As had been anticipated, former Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh visited the New York Giants on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, the Giants rolled out the red carpet for Harbaugh and put on a full-court press to entice him to become the next head coach of the franchise. Ian O’Connor of The Athletic has been at the forefront of the reporting on the mutual flirtation between Harbaugh and the Giants since Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens. According O’Connor, the meetings at Quest Diagnostic Center with senior team officials went well, and the Giants also took Harbaugh out to dinner. It was also reported that Harbaugh did talk with quarterback Jaxson Dart.
However, Harbaugh did leave the Giants without signing a contract. He is next scheduled to meet with representatives of the Tennessee Titans at his home in Maryland on Thursday. He also may meet with the Atlanta Falcons in person, having already held a virtual conference call with the team. In the meantime, O’Connor is reporting that the Giants and Harbaugh are still talking.
Before today’s meetings in New Jersey, the Giants had held extensive phone conversations with Harbaugh that included team President/CEO John Mara, Senior Player Personnel Executive Chris Mara, and General Manager Joe Schoen. Chris Mara visited Harbaugh at his home in Maryland on Sunday. In addition, former New York Giants head coaches Tom Coughlin and Brian Daboll, as well as former quarterback Eli Manning, have spoken to Harbaugh on behalf of the team.
There have been various reports that not only are the Giants willing to meet Harbaugh’s contract demands, but are also willing to change the team’s power structure to allow Harbaugh more say in how the team is run vis-à-vis General Manager Joe Schoen.