It was never going to matter which other head coaching jobs became available; John Harbaugh wanted to be the man to turn the New York Giants around.
“One of the most iconic jobs in all of sports,” Harbaugh described his new position with Big Blue during his introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “I wanted this job to be on the biggest stage of the biggest sport…
“It had to be the right opportunity. This was the obvious one from the beginning.”
The 63-year-old future Hall of Famer ranks 12th all-time with 193 coaching wins after 18 highly successful seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, which included a Super Bowl title and an NFL Coach of the Year award.
But while the Giants’ brand is “iconic,” the organization has been in disarray for much of the last decade, and it came to a head over the last two seasons that have featured a combined seven wins.
They have made the playoffs just twice since the start of the 2013 season, and their 105 losses since 2016 rank second-most in the NFL.
Bringing in Harbaugh is a massive first step to change the culture, which had seemed rotten ever since Tom Coughlin was shown the door.
“I’m planning [on establishing a winning culture] on Day 1, so that’s what we’ll be shooting for, and I fully expect it to happen,” Harbaugh said. “You build anything together from the inside out. Culture is a crazy word. What does it really mean? It’s a worldview, it’s a shared understanding… What is it in football? It’s a bunch of guys who see the game the same way.”
After telling Ian O’Connor of The Athletic that he expects the Giants to push for the playoffs in 2026, Harbaugh doubled down, saying his “one mission” is “to earn the right to be called the world champions in New York.”
“It starts with building a team that is physical and tough, that’s capable of overwhelming their opponent from beginning to end, especially at the end, that understands how to finish,” Harbaugh said. “They are smart and disciplined, and they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”
There is a belief that a significant portion of a winning foundation, at least from a roster perspective, is already in place. After parting ways with the Ravens, Harbaugh immediately got to work watching film on the Giants, where he lauded “their style,” and “how physical and how tough they are.”
Above all, he likes rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who showed flashes of developing into a bona fide franchise quarterback in 2025.
“The quarterback’s kind of important. That’s kind of a big deal. I’m excited about Jaxson Dart,” Harbaugh said. “You build your team around your quarterback… I like the way he plays, I like his talent, I like his skill set, all the things he’s accomplished. More than that, I like who he is and what he’s about. This young guy loves football… I can’t wait to get started with him.”
