Jan. 19, 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET
The New York Giants are making headlines for the right reasons again. 10 seasons after Tom Coughlin “stepped down” as their head coach, they finally brought in a man worthy of the office in John Harbaugh.
Head coach of the New York Giants. That used to stand for something. Over the past 10 years, the Giants have toiled around with “hot” assistants, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.
They elevated Coughlin’s offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo, first. He led the Giants to a playoff berth in his first season, then was sunk by an ill-timed boating trip. He was followed by Steve Spagnuolo on an interim basis.
Spagnuolo, one of the NFL’s most accomplished defensive assistants, also failed. So did the string of coordinators that came after him: Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll, and Mike Kafka, all good football men, but not head coaches. Not leaders.
After losing 10 or more games in eight of the last nine seasons, the Giants finally realized they needed to get serious. When the Baltimore Ravens fired Harbaugh after a very successful 18-year run, the Giants knew what they had to do.
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On Saturday afternoon, they announced that Harbaugh was officially hired as the 21st head coach in franchise history.
“John is a proven winner whose teams are disciplined, resilient, and prepared,” said Giants chairman Steve Tisch in a telling statement. “His passion for the game, his ability to connect with players, and his experience leading at the highest level made him an outstanding fit for us, and we’re excited to move forward together.”
Tisch’s words did not sugarcoat the team’s shortcomings over the past decade. There was little discipline, and the team appeared to be unprepared too many times.
They needed an overseer, a CEO, a man who could both manage and coach. No more scrambling for kickers on game day. More stringent training and learning. Real accountability, not such empty chatter about it.
Few in the NFL can do that for as long as Harbaugh. He ran his course with the Ravens, but that isn’t uncommon after nearly two decades. Keep in mind, nothing is forever. Remember, the Cowboys fired Tom Landry, the Patriots let Bill Belichick walk, and almost every accomplished coach in NFL history saw their tenures end unceremoniously at some point.
Harbaugh is coming in fresh. Even at 63, he appears to be vigorous and youthful. His optimism is contagious. He knows what makes a winner.
“To serve as this franchise’s head coach is a tremendous honor. I come from a football family, and I have deep respect for the history and tradition of this organization,” Harbaugh said. “I’m excited to begin assembling our staff and getting to work building our team.”
Unlike the six men who occupied his office before him, he knows how to do that. Things will be different here from now on.
