The Giants’ head coaching search and pursuit of John Harbaugh just got complicated — and New York fans should be nervous
The New York Giants now have extra competition for John Harbaugh in their head coaching search
The New York Giants’ head coaching search just got complicated thanks to a decision by the Miami Dolphins.
All of Wednesday, Giants fans were excitedly discussing the possibility of landing former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to fix the franchise. He was a perfect fit for the team’s needs, and the Giants arguably have the best opening for him. Up until Thursday morning, it appeared the Harbaugh and Giants would be an inevitable pairing.
Miami announced on Thursday that it would fire head coach Mike McDaniel. And the timing, as well as layers to their GM search situation, should scare Giants fans.
Can the Dolphins steal away John Harbaugh from the Giants?
The timing of the decision to fire McDaniel seems to indicate they want to take a run at Harbaugh. Ownership waited until Thursday after many franchises had begun their interview process, putting them well behind. As reported by numerous NFL insiders, Harbaugh’s availability prompted many teams to rethink their futures with struggling head coaches.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington pointed out below that the Ravens have not been in contact with Harbaugh. However, it does not mean they don’t have some potential back-channeling or see a path to landing him.
Darlington referenced that the GM search includes Los Angeles Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, who has ties to both Jim and John Harbaugh. The obvious connection is Jim Harbaugh and Alexander being with the Chargers. Does this mean the interview with Alexander established that he could bring Harbaugh with him?
Dolphins GM search is speeding up at the right time
Darlington pointed out two extremely important nuggets that are the most daunting for Giants fans. One, they don’t intend to hire a head coach until they have a GM in place. While, at face value, that sounds like they’ll be even further behind in the Harbaugh race, Darlington revealed they intend to have a new GM by tomorrow.
This is the final layer that should make fans nervous. This sudden pickup in the process indicates they want to enter the search as quickly as possible. If they announce Alexander, that could be the nail in the coffin.
The Giants’ job is better than the Dolphins
With all the chaos unravelling today, one thing remains true, and hopefully it resonates with Harbaugh when he’s making this decision. The Dolphins have an extremely messy quarterback situation that will hamper their ability to be competitive right away. Meanwhile, the Giants have a young, moldable quarterback in Jaxson Dart, along with other promising pieces.
Tua Tagovailoa’s contract and the uncertainty of his future in Miami should not be enticing for someone like Harbaugh, who is 63 years old. Trying to establish a path toward winning in the next few years would require complicated maneuvering, unless Harbaugh thinks he can maximize Tagovailoa.
Conversely, if Harbaugh were to develop the Giants’ roster effectively, they could be competitive until he chose to retire. Hopefully, he sees that vision and doesn’t prioritize a personal relationship over it.
New York Giants News
It didn’t take long for the Giants to be linked to one of the biggest names in the NFL world amid their head coaching search
It didn’t take long for the Giants to be linked to one of the biggest names in the NFL world amid their head coaching search
