5 things to know about John Harbaugh as Giants are finalizing deal with him
The Giants are close to taking care of their first priority this offseason by hiring John Harbaugh as their head coach, according to sources. The two sides are expected to finalize a five-year deal.
Here are five things to know about Harbaugh and what to expect from him given his strong resume.
1. Harbaugh raises both the Giants’ floor and ceiling
Harbaugh’s credentials are top-notch:
- 180 wins
- .614 career winning percentage
- NFL-record eight road playoff wins
- 1 Super Bowl ring.
Dan Reeves is the last Giants hire with a resume that strong. When the Giants hired him in 1993, Reeves had won 110 games with the Broncos and made three Super Bowls. In Reeves’ first year, the Giants won 11 games and he was named AP Coach of the Year.
Reeves also improved the Giants’ win total by five games. In Harbaugh’s first season with the Ravens, they went from 5-11 to 11-5. Could he do something similar with the Giants, as Reeves did?
2. Could this be Harbaugh’s last stop?
At 63 years old, Harbaugh is the oldest coach the Giants have hired in terms of age before his first game. Tom Coughlin was 58 when the Giants hired him in 2004. Harbaugh’s the second-oldest coach in the NFL behind Andy Reid, 67.
Only five coaches in NFL history coached a game past their 70th birthday, including former Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who turned 74 in September. It’s likely Harbaugh sees this as his last coaching gig. It also means there will be more urgency in the building for the Giants to get right.
Harbaugh's age shouldn’t make Giants fans worry too much. Coughlin won his first Super Bowl at 61 and his second at 65. When he and the Giants parted ways in January 2016, he was 69 years old.
3. Harbaugh’s no stranger to the NFC East
This is Harbaugh’s first coaching stint in the New York-New Jersey area. The Michigan native began his career at Western Michigan as running backs/outside linebackers coach and later served as special teams coordinator at Cincinnati (1989-96) and Indiana (1997).
But Harbaugh is well-versed on the NFC East. He spent 10 seasons (1998-2007) as an Eagles assistant, with his first nine as special teams coordinator under Ray Rhodes and Andy Reid. In his final Eagles season, he was their defensive backs coach, which matters, given that the Giants’ secondary didn’t improve much last season.
Harbaugh understands the rivalries within the NFC East. He comes from a fierce rivalry with the Steelers during his Ravens tenure. It’s just another reason he’ll light a fire under the Giants to improve their level of play and preparation.
4. Whom could Harbaugh bring on staff?
Because Harbaugh is not a first-time coach, there are some clues about whom he might add as coaches. One obvious choice is Todd Monken, who was his offensive coordinator the last three seasons in Baltimore.
With Monken overseeing the offense, the Ravens ranked fourth (2023), third (2024) and 11th (2025) in total offense. They ranked first in rushing in 2023 and 2024 and second in 2025. While Harbaugh isn’t bringing quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry with him, those stats are a good sign for the Giants, who were fifth in rushing last season.
Harbaugh also could bring quarterbacks coach Tee Martin, who’s been with him since 2023. A wild card to watch is former NFL coach Chuck Pagano, whom Harbaugh hired last season as a senior secondary coach.
5. Expect the defense to get a boost
Harbaugh’s teams have been great on offense lately, but they’ve been historically strong on defense. The Ravens finished in the top 10 in total defense and scoring defense 13 times under Harbaugh.
The Giants haven’t finished among the top 10 in total defense since 2016 and in scoring defense since 2020. It’s no secret how bad they are at stopping the run; they ranked 31st last season and 27th in 2024. The Ravens were 10th in run defense last season and first in 2024.
The Giants' best teams thrived with great defense. If Harbaugh can get them back to that level and improve Jaxson Dart’s play at quarterback, they won’t be a losing team for long.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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