How John Harbaugh’s Hire Sets the New York Giants up for Future Success

Across the last decade-plus, the New York Giants have been nothing short of a dumpster fire.

Two playoff appearances since winning Super Bowl XLVI in 2011. Eleven losing seasons. A coaching carousel that saw the likes of Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge and Brian Daboll ushered in just to be cut a few seasons later.

Daboll, the latest of that crop, was fired 10 games into the Giants wasted 2025 season, where they went 4-13 — a one-win improvement from the year prior.

New York’s first offseason duty was replacing Daboll. In a few years, John Mara, Joe Schoen and Co. don’t want to be going through this process again. For the first time since Tom Coughlin helmed the franchise from 2004-15, they found someone with considerable experience in former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, unlike many of the Giants’ recent hires, has plenty of benefits. He made the playoffs 12 times across his 18-year stint in Baltimore. With that pedigree, free agents and coaches — even some of Harbaugh’s former standouts with the Ravens — will flock to the Big Apple. Harbaugh and Schoen will have the pick of the litter to fill the team’s vacant offensive coordinator job and any positional needs. If he chooses the right people, the Giants could be headed back to the postseason.

That potential starts with New York’s current core. First is quarterback Jaxson Dart. The 2025 first rounder from Ole Miss had a stellar rookie season, finishing with 22 total touchdowns and as a finalist for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Alongside Dart, the Giants retain star running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers, both of whom will return from season-ending injuries.

Defensively, the Giants have strong pieces as well. Their defensive line sits among the best in the league, with Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux, albeit an underwhelming fourth year, heading the unit.

The secondary does need work. Cor’Dale Flott is a free agent. Deonte Banks didn’t improve, and free agent signings Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland weren’t impressive. Under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, the unit was one of the worst in the league even with a strong defensive line.

But that’s where hiring Harbaugh will come in handy. Players know his reputation. They know what he made the Ravens into — a consistent contender and even Super Bowl champions in 2012.

The Giants didn’t have that luxury in the past. They were forced to rely on monetary advantages, though with no recent success and a track record of ruining free agents’ careers, many chose winning over money. Now, that shouldn’t be an issue.

It’s already been speculated that Harbaugh could try to reel in many of his former Ravens players. Fullback Patrick Ricard and center Tyler Linderbaum are among those on that list, both of whom could help the Giants establish a running game that’s been absent since Saquon Barkley darted to Philadelphia.

But players can only blossom with a good coaching staff. Harbaugh is just the head; he’s starting to build a strong team of coordinators around him.

That began by hiring former Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson in the same role. Wilson had been a target for the Giants’ job under Daboll in 2023, The Athletic reported. Clearly Daboll chose wrong. Wilson will finally get that chance with Harbaugh.

Though Tennessee’s defense ranked near the bottom of the league in 2025, Wilson is still a respected coach. The Titans’ defense was nearly wiped clean of their best players due to injuries and midseason trades last year. Wilson plays a heavy amount of zone defense and Cover 4 looks while relying less on blitz packages, concepts Bowen never implemented successfully.

While Harbaugh has yet to sign an offensive coordinator, it looks like Todd Monken will follow his head coach to New York. Monken impressed in Baltimore, helping it to the AFC Championship in his first season in 2023 and maintaining Lamar Jackson’s MVP-caliber play.

Monken is also rumored to still be in the running for the Browns’ head coaching gig, but even if he does accept, Harbaugh should have numerous other candidates willing to take the position.

And all of them will likely be better than Mika Kafka, who rarely found success in four years holding the position, even having playcalling duties stripped from him in 2024. Without Kafka, the Giants can develop Dart, a key factor to their success.

Numerous former Ravens are already confirmed to be following Harbaugh. That includes assistant linebackers coach Matt Pees, defensive quality control coach Brendan Clark, analyst Noah Riley and special teams coordinator Chris Horton.

In choosing an experienced head coach, that hire comes with connections.

If the Giants chose another Daboll or Judge, both of whom had never held a head coaching job before, they likely would’ve remained stuck in the mud. But they didn’t. They picked Harbaugh. And they’re already reaping the benefits as a result.

Thumbnail Credit (Picture of Harbaugh): TaurusEmerald