Giants news, 1/16: John Harbaugh reaction, coordinator candidates

Despite all of their recent losing and dysfunction, the Giants have maintained their status as a storied franchise, especially in the eyes of an old-school football lifer like Harbaugh. Losing him to the likes of the Tennessee Titans or Atlanta Falcons would have been a devastating blow at a fragile time for the franchise.

Landing Harbaugh was the best possible outcome when the Giants set out on the unpredictable path of a coaching search. It’s the biggest win for the franchise in a long time. And now, with Harbaugh on board, the belief is many more wins will follow.

The Giants know exactly what they’re getting. And he knows the kind of chance here to put the Giants back on top, become the first coach ever to win a Super Bowl with two different teams, unless Sean Payton beats him to it with the Broncos. Because of everything that has happened to them lately; because of the way they have fallen down; and after the general managers and coaches who have come and gone since the last Super Bowl over the Patriots, this is as important a hire as the Giants have ever made, all the way back to old Tim Mara.

More than anything else, closing out the bidding on Harbaugh before he even met with the Titans or with the Falcons, sends out this loud message, and not just to the fan base, but to the rest of the league: He is taking his talents to North Jersey because he’s decided the Giants are worthy of those talents, not just for coaching but for culture building as well. And you better believe that even if Joe Schoen is staying on as general manager, going forward the football business at MetLife Stadium will run through the office of the new coach.

With the coaching search complete, owners John Mara and Tisch (who was among the biggest advocates for the Giants hiring Harbaugh) can finally exhale — and perhaps even enjoy this weekend’s playoff games. Two in particular. On Sunday, New England faces Houston. Later, Chicago meets the Rams. A year ago, those teams won four and five games, respectively. Both believed they were close. Both found the right coach — the Patriots with Mike Vrabel, the Bears with Ben Johnson — and made immediate strides. Now, they’re on to the second round of the playoffs.

The Giants believe they can do the same. Their roster remains imperfect. Dart needs more weapons. The offensive line requires real solutions, not short-term patches. The defense, despite recognizable names, fell well short of expectations a season ago. Still, with Harbaugh in charge, the task ahead no longer feels overwhelming.

At minimum, the Giants finally have a path forward. And for the first time in a long time, there is a legitimate reason to believe in a blueprint toward relevance.

To be honest, it’s hard to think of a more significant moment in Giants history than the moment when John Harbaugh, a Super Bowl-winning coach, clearly the prize of this year’s carousel, made the decision to accept the generous offer that the Giants were so desperate to give him. As the new head coach of the New York Giants — the news is expected to become official sometime on Thursday — he brings instant credibility. He carries a feeling of hope.

And sure, they might have been in good hands with Kevin Stefanski too, or Mike McCarthy or some hotshot coordinator who is staring at a long and storied career. But none of them — none — would have come close to creating the buzz and excitement that Harbaugh did. Not a single other coach would have brought this kind of seismic change.

“After they were done eating, I told them, I know there’s a lot of tension in the room but, as a fan, please sign,” Salouros told Sports Illustrated Thursday morning. “And if you’re not going to—I have a back door and I’ll show you out that way.” Everyone laughed. The room looked perfect—the owner described the ambiance as “festive” and “celebratory”—and Salouros, despite hearing that Harbaugh had other head coaching interviews after this one, knew the Giants had landed their dream head coach when Harbaugh smiled on his way out and said: “I know I’ll be seeing you again soon.”

Realistic turnaround timeline After the 2025 NFL postseason set a record with five teams that had 11-plus losses the year prior -- the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers -- there will be Giants fans who think a playoff berth in 2026 is achievable. The NFC East will be a tough hill to climb, with the Eagles still full of talent and the Cowboys likely a playoff team if they can avoid being the NFL’s worst scoring defense, as they were in 2025.

It will be interesting to see whether Harbaugh’s proclivity for late-game collapses follows him to New York, because the difference in one-score games can make or break a team’s record. In 2025, the Giants were 1-6 in one-score games while Harbaugh’s Ravens were just about as bad at 1-4. Baltimore blew 26 leads of 10 or more points under Harbaugh from 2008 to 2025, the most in the NFL. Twelve of those came in the last five seasons, which is five more than any other team in the league in that span. Harbaugh will bring coaching competence and stability, but time will tell whether that will be enough to elevate the Giants back to regular playoff participants.

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