How Harbaugh Heading to Giants Affects Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Andy Reid’s salary now has competition.

According to insider Adam Schefter, new Giants head coach John Harbaugh is expected to command in the ballpark of Reid’s average annual value.

“They're still finalizing the deal that is expected to pay him roughly $20 or so million a year,”

Schefter said on Thursday’s edition of Get Up. “There's still money due in Baltimore, will be money paid in New York, but the Giants got John Harbaugh in the building on Wednesday.”

Here’s more of what Harbaugh to the Giants means for Reid and the Chiefs.

lamar jackson, mahome — Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greet each other on the field after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning stability is envy of teams

Reid just experienced his first losing season in Kansas City. He was hired in 2013. The last time he finished below .500 was his final year in Philadelphia, 2012.

That’s the goal teams are now seeking, especially after the league’s longest two coaching tenures – Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Harbaugh in Baltimore – ended this week. The Giants have a long-term identity and that’s why they focused on Harbaugh, not on the young, hot name.

“Harbaugh will come in with the type of credibility that Dan Reeves once brought this organization when they hired him,” Schefter added Thursday. “That's what they're looking for right now, somebody to restore the order that's been lacking with the cycle of coaches that this team has gone through over the last decade.”

Remember, before Clark Hunt hired Reid, the Chiefs had gone through a similar stretch, employing three head coaches over a five-year stretch from 2008-12 (Herm Edwards, Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel).

“They sold the organization as hard as they could,” Schefter said, referring to the Giants. “It included meetings with owners. It included meetings with their quarterback, Jaxson Dart, and really from the moment John Harbaugh had been let go in Baltimore, the Giants prioritized him, recruited him and went after him as hard as he possibly could.”

mike borgonz — Tennessee Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi fields questions from the media at Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. The Titans are beginning their head coaching search this week. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Harbaugh blew off Tennessee, Atlanta

Left at the Harbaugh altar were the Titans and Falcons, and that’s important to head-coach hopeful Matt Nagy.

Tennessee at last check had requested interviews with an NFL-high 19 head-coach candidates. Former Chiefs executive Mike Borgonzi sent an initial request to Reid, to interview his offensive coordinator, Nagy.

Still reportedly one of the top Tennessee candidates, Nagy obviously has competition. One of those names is Kevin Stefanski, the next domino likely to fall.

Like Nagy a former NFL Coach of the Year, Stefanski also is a strong candidate in Atlanta. Whether Nagy returns to help Reid lead Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense might be hanging in the balance on Stefanski’s next move. And league experts would be shocked if one of the remaining eight vacancies doesn’t go to Stefanski.

Falcons could be next, and Chiefs are watching

Now that Harbaugh won’t coach in Atlanta, the Chiefs should be eyeing one of the other Falcons candidates, Mike McDaniel. The former Dolphins head coach could make an excellent offensive coordinator to replace Nagy with the Chiefs.

Spags likely to return

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who helped the Giants upset Tom Brady and the 18-0 Patriots back in 2007 and took over as New York’s interim head coach in 2017, was never in the Giants’ thinking. In fact, despite nine head-coach openings, Spagnuolo had only one reported interview – in Tennessee.

Spagnuolo returning to Kansas City is a great thing for the Chiefs.

The Todd Monken factor

Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator in Baltimore, Todd Monken is reportedly the front-runner to take the same role with the Giants. That’s important to Kansas City because Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers would have Monken, who wouldn’t fit with Reid and the Chiefs, and Kansas City would then have its pick of the rest of the litter.

Chiefs don’t have to play Giants for at least two years

Kansas City has had to fight to escape several of its recent showdowns with Baltimore, but now that Harbaugh is with the Giants, the Chiefs don’t have to worry about seeing him again any time soon.

The earliest possible Harbaugh rematch is in 2027, provided both the Chiefs and Giants finish in the same place in their respective divisions. If not, they won’t play again until 2029.

malik nabers, noh — New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) looks at a ball that was meant for him as he gets ready to fall in the end zone, in the fourth quarter, Sunday, September 21, 2025. Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams (20) and Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) is shown on Nabers' sides. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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