How the Giants delivered a double blow to Browns' head coach search

The number of candidates to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns has started to dwindle.

Last night, news broke that the New York Giants had reached an agreement in principle with former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to fulfill their vacancy, with the signing being confirmed by multiple outlets this morning as a $100 million five-year deal. Harbaugh was one of the 13 known coaches that the Browns had shown interest in for their top spot.

However, the Giants could be delivering a double blow to the Browns’ aspirations of finding their preferred candidate, as reports suggest that Harbaugh will be taking Todd Monken with him to the Big Apple.

Former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is expected to join John Harbaugh in New York with the Giants, per source.
This has always been the plan.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 15, 2026

According to Dianna Russini from The Athlethic, Monken is not only set to join Harbaugh on his new team, but Harbaugh’s refusal to part ways with Monken in Baltimore would have been one of the reasons the head coach lost his job in the first place.

A key pressure point in the John Harbaugh dismissal, according to those familiar with today’s discussions, was his refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 6, 2026

Monken was also one of the 13 known coaches to have spurred interest from the Browns for their head coaching gig, having already interviewed with the team this past Saturday.

Monken was the fifth of six known coaches that have met with the Browns to date, including current offensive and defensive coordinators Tommy Rees and Jim Schwartz, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Monken had also interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In addition to the coaches already interviewed, Cleveland has requested to meet with Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.

Interest has also been widely reported in Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, another coach with previous experience on the Browns’ staff.

Cleveland didn’t make Harbaugh’s short list of teams, which reportedly boiled down to the Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans, despite him growing up a Browns fan.

But the Giants were aggressive from the start in their pursuit of the 63-year old coach, and are the first of the nine teams with head coaching vacancies to fill out the position. And, they're taking another potential candidate out of the mix for other teams as well.

Now, one has to wonder if the Browns will step on the gas pedal and try to get through the first round of their interviews a little faster, before their pool of available candidates is further depleted. And if so, how detrimental it could be to hurry up the process.