Giants closing in on John Harbaugh as next head coach, AP sources say
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 21: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/G
NEW YORK - John Harbaugh and the New York Giants are working on an agreement to make him the team’s head coach, two people with knowledge of the decision said early Thursday morning.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized. Negotiations are ongoing, but Harbaugh is expected to end up in New York.
Harbaugh has plenty of options if the sides can’t reach an agreement but the goal is to "reach the finish line."
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh participates in a news conference at the team practice facility in Owings Mills, Maryland, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Harbaugh interviewed in person with the Giants on Wednesday, spending hours at the team facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Super Bowl-winning former coach of the Baltimore Ravens was believed to be New York’s top candidate in the search for Brian Daboll’s full-time successor.
Fired by the Baltimore Ravens after missing the playoffs on a missed field goal attempt at the buzzer in the season finale, Harbaugh is on track to pick the Giants over other possible landing spots, including Tennessee and Atlanta.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 4: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens walks the field prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty
The Ravens made the playoffs 12 times during 18 seasons with Harbaugh in charge and won the Super Bowl in the 2012 season, a year after the Giants’ most recent championship.
General manager Joe Schoen, who’s back for a fifth season running the football operations department, said he would cast a wide net in the coaching search. Interviewing Raheem Morris and Antonio Pierce satisfied the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirements for minority or female candidates, and Harbaugh’s visit to northern New Jersey paved the way to make a hire before any of the more than half-dozen teams with a vacancy.
The Source: This report is from the Associated Press.