Feb. 8, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET

The New York Giants hired former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh this offseason to lead them into the future and hopefully back to prominence. That is going to entail buy-in from the leftover veteran leadership, players such as Bobby Okereke, the team’s leading tackler and defensive captain.

That should not be a problem, says Okereke, who is welcoming the veteran Super Bowl-winning coach and his winning ways to New Jersey.

“We’re extremely excited. I watched his press conference on the plane, and I tell everybody, I thought he sounded like the President. His energy and the aura around him, you can tell he’s a man with a plan,” Okereke said of Harbaugh in an interview with Cashing Out. “Very excited when talking with him and understand the culture he wants to bring.

“A lot of coaches — I wouldn’t say don’t understand — but he understands from a very high level that there’s a sports psychology aspect. You hear him talk about principles and methods; he’s got it all dialed in. We’re very excited for the culture he’s going to establish. We really think we have it all. It starts with the head coach and starts with the quarterback, and we got two of the best in the business.” 

Okereke, in his third year with the club after coming over from the Indianapolis Colts in free agency in 2023, started all 17 games at inside linebacker for the Giants this season and played the most snaps (1,104, or 99 percent) of any player on the Giants’ defense.

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He recorded 143 tackles, six passes defensed, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, one QB hit, and a sack. His 143 tackles tied him for the 10th-most in the NFL and ranked as the fourth-most by a Giant in a single season.