Updated Jan. 15, 2026, 5:19 p.m. MT
It didn’t take long for John Harbaugh to land on his feet.
Just over a week after being fired by the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh has agreed to become the next head coach of the New York Giants. The Super Bowl XLVII champion and 2019 AP NFL Coach of the Year will now switch from the AFC to the NFC, so his showdowns with Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton will become less frequent.
Payton and Harbaugh overlapped with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998, then Payton worked for the Giants from 1999-2002. Payton was asked about Harbaugh landing in New York after Thursday’s practice.
“Yes, I saw that,” Payton said. “I haven’t been in New York for years. I’m real close with both the Maras and the Tisch family. I’m excited for John. I consider him a close friend. Mike [Tomlin], the same way. It happened fast. I texted him earlier in the week, but then… He said, ‘Hey, if I want to call you,’ I said, ‘Call, yes, at any time.’ I think that moved quickly, and I’m happy for him.
“I’m happy for the Giants just for those years there. My first however many years in the league were Eagles, Giants, Cowboys for quite a while. I say this, sometimes we can’t control our bloodlines, where we end up. I’ve been blessed when you look at the programs, and here now and the tradition. Sometimes you don’t have control over that. So I’m excited for him.”
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Payton ranks fifth among active coaches with at least 100 games with a 0.623 winning percentage and Harbaugh ranks eighth (0.609). The Giants are not among the Broncos’ 2026 opponents, but Denver’s slated to host a same-place finisher from the NFC East in 2027, so Payton and Harbaugh could face off again down the road.
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