The New York Giants are “all-in” on hiring John Harbaugh as their next head coach — but they will face serious competition. Following the Dolphins’ firing of Mike McDainel, there are now eight head coaching vacancies in the NFL right now, with more to potentially be opened after the Wild Card Round of the postseason.
Entering this offseason, there was uncertainty surrounding the next crop of head coaching candidates. Many of the initial top candidates under consideration were rising coordinators, lacking the head coaching experience that the Giants desired in the search for their next boss.
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The John Harbaugh Factor
Through a fortunate stroke of serendipity, Harbaugh is available as the top candidate whose background encapsulates all of the skills and experience that the New York Giants want from their next head coach.
If the Giants win the Harbaugh sweepstakes, who could he hire onto his coaching staff in the Big Apple? Here is one projected Harbaugh-led coaching staff that could generate excitement amongst Giants fans.
Projecting the Giants’ Coaching Staff if they Hire John Harbaugh
Among the many attractive qualities of Harbaugh’s resume is his ability to recruit impressive coaches onto his staff. The “John Harbaugh Tree” features a slew of elite coordinators who either went on to become head coaches or previously served in the role before joining Harbaugh’s staff.
Hiring good coordinators is so important for the success of a coaching staff — a lesson the Giants learned the tough way through the mess of the Brian Daboll era.
Harbaugh would be a dream-come-true hiring for the New York Giants as their next head coach. But who would be the equivalent at offensive coordinator? And who could join Harbaugh’s staff to get this defense back on track? Here’s one projection:
- Head Coach: John Harbaugh
- Offensive Coordinator: Mike McDaniel
- Defensive Coordinator: Anthony Weaver
Offensive Coordinator: Mike McDaniel
The Dolphins’ firing of McDaniel opens a rare opportunity for the Giants to potentially hire an elite offensive playcaller with ample experience and the ability to maximize quarterback talent. McDaniel, who cut his teeth under the tutelage of 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan, is known for deploying a modern, motion-heavy, speed-centric offense.
McDaniel’s scheme is similar to that of Shanahan’s, as it places an emphasis on running the football to open up a heavy play-action attack while simplifying pre-snap reads for the quarterbacks through pre-snap motion.
This quarterback-friendly scheme is exactly what the Giants want for promising young QB Jaxson Dart, and McDaniel’s experience as a head coach could also benefit the rest of the offensive staff that seeks leadership from an elite playcaller and talent developer.
Prior to his time as the Dolphins’ head coach, McDaniel helped construct one of the best offenses in the NFL in San Francisco. From 2018–2020, McDaniel served as the 49ers’ run game coordinator, leading them to rank 5th in the NFL in rushing (127.0 YPG) despite having a different leading rusher every single season.
In his lone season as the 49ers’ OC (2021), McDaniel was the co-architect with Shanahan of an offense that led the NFL in red zone TD percentage (66.7%) and yards per catch (12.5).
Under McDaniel’s playcalling in 2023, Miami finished No. 1 in total offense (401.3 yards per game) for the first time since 1994. They also ranked No. 1 in passing and No. 2 in scoring (29.2 PPG). He maximized Tua Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in Passer Rating (105.5) in 2022 and led the NFL in passing yards (4,624) in 2023.
Although things fizzled out over the last two seasons, much of that could be attributed to the struggles of Tagovailoa, who regressed after suffering significant injuries. The Dolphins’ offensive line struggled, their receiving corps was often injured, and, as a result, McDaniel’s offense regressed.
But stepping into the role of offensive coordinator again, McDaniel could get a Giants offense with a talented quarterback back on track. He will be a hot name on the market, though, as the Detroit Lions requested to interview him for their vacant OC position just hours after his firing from Miami.
But if anyone can attract McDaniel to the Giants, it might be Harbaugh. Throughout his time in Baltimore, Harbaugh recruited established, elite offensive coordinators to call plays and develop his offense, including Jim Caldwell (former HC when hired), Gary Kubiak (former HC when hired), Marc Trestman (former HC when hired), Marty Mornhinweg (former HC when hired), Greg Roman, and Todd Monken (former collegiate HC when hired).
Harbaugh values experience on the offensive side of the ball and has a tendency to hire former head coaches into the role (Cameron, Caldwell, Kubiak, Trestman, Mornhinweg). McDaniel would be a perfect fit.
Defensive Coordinator: Anthony Weaver
Another familiar face from Miami, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, is a hot name for both head coaching and vacant defensive coordinator jobs.
The reason why the Giants might have an inside track to Weaver if they hire Harbaugh? The two used to work together.
Prior to his current stint with the Miami Dolphins, Weaver worked on Harbaugh’s staff in Baltimore for three seasons (2021-2023). In his first season with the team, Weaver served as the Ravens’ defensive line coach & run game coordinator. That season, Weaver helped the Ravens lead the NFL in rushing defense (allowing only 84.5 yards per game).
Weaver was then promoted to assistant head coach & defensive line coach from 2022-2023, working closely with Harbaugh as his top-ranking assistant. During Weaver’s three seasons in Baltimore, the team ranked 3rd in the NFL in rushing defense (allowing 95.3 yards per game). As assistant head coach, Weaver helped lead a Ravens defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing just 16.5 points per game.
Following his run under Harbaugh in Baltimore, Weaver was hired to McDaniel’s staff in Miami in 2024. The Dolphins finished 4th in total defense (314.4 yards per game) that season, their highest ranking in nearly two decades (since 2006). Weaver’s unit finished 9th in the NFL in run defense (103.7 YPG). Notably, Miami was the only team in the NFL to not allow a single 100-yard rusher during the 2024 season.
Weaver’s ability to scheme together a strong run defense would be a massive selling point for the New York Giants, whose defense ranked 31st against the run this past season, allowing 145.3 YPG.
In 2025, Weaver’s defense experienced a season of two distinct halves, characterized by a difficult start followed by a significant midseason turnaround. While the unit regressed statistically compared to its top-5 finish in 2024, Weaver’s ability to stabilize the group despite roster challenges led to him becoming a top head-coaching candidate in early 2026.
| Weeks 1–5 | Weeks 6–10 | |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 29.0 (27th) | 22.2 (Top 15) |
| Yards Allowed Per Game | 386.6 (29th) | 307.2 (Top 10) |
| Third Down Defense | 50.0% (31st) | 33.8% |
| Defensive EPA Ranking | 30th | 12th |
| Punt Rate | 20.0% | 40.7% |
Although McDaniel has been fired, Weaver is still technically under contract with the Dolphins. However, whoever they hire as their next head coach may prefer to bring in their own defensive coordinator, which would pave the way for Weaver to reunite with Harbaugh elsewhere.
The Ultimate “White Whale”
Winning the John Harbaugh Sweepstakes will be no easy task for the New York Giants. They will face steep competition from at least seven other teams around the league.
The Giants will need to hope that their franchise pedigree and core building blocks, such as Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Dexter Lawrence, among others, will be enough to land the white whale of this coaching cycle: future Hall-of-Famer John Harbaugh.