Three Biggest Questions Now That Giants Have Hired John Harbaugh

The New York Giants get their man, but this is only the beginning of a complete organizational shift aimed at producing better days for Big Blue.

John Harbaugh is coming to the NY Giants. What's next? | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The New York Giants were not about to be denied.

Just as the firing of head coach John Harbaugh by the Baltimore Ravens last week was considered a seismic event, the Giants’ relentless pursuit of Harbaugh, a  CEO-style head coach and proven winner, made that news seem like small potatoes.

The Giants, per sources close to the situation, are in the process of finalizing a five-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $100 million for Harbaugh, who agreed to become the team’s 24th head coach in its 101-year history just hours after he returned to his Baltimore-area home following a whirlwind, VIP type of day at the Giants’ East Rutherford headquarters.

The Giants went all-out in their quest to land Harbaugh, having former Giants greats like Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning reach out to extol the virtues of the organization. 

But a source confirmed to New York Giants On SI that former Giants head coach Brian Daboll was particularly instrumental in his praise for the organization despite having been fired following Week 10 of the 2025 season. 

Daboll, as we understand it, was particularly effusive in his praise of quarterback Jaxson Dart, whom Daboll is thought to have really pushed for in last year’s draft, convincing general manager Joe Schoen that Dart could turn into something special.

Harbaugh’s introductory press conference is set to be held at the Giants’ facility next week. In the meantime, there is still much to be done, so let’s run down the next steps.

Who will be the coordinators?

Harbaugh, per multiple reports, is looking to bring Todd Monken to New York with him as his offensive coordinator. Per league rules, the Giants will need to interview two minority candidates to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which was expanded to include coordinators.

But Harbaugh is apparently comfortable enough with Monken taking over the development of quarterback Jaxson Dart, which was a key discussion point in the interview process.

Former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is reportedly Harbaugh's choice to fill a similar role on his Giants staff. | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The 59-year-old Monken is no stranger to helping to get the best out of the quarterbacks with whom he's worked.

In addition to his work in Baltimore with two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson, who had some of his finest seasons under Monken’s watch, Monken worked with Baker Mayfield when the two were in Cleveland, and Mayfield threw for 3,827 yards in his second season, at the time a career-high. 

The defensive coordinator role will also be a big one, given the talent amassed last offseason, which was never fully optimized under former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

After Bowen was fired, outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen took over and helped the unit play better.  

Bullen, whom Dallas has sought for their defensive coordinator vacancy, would appear to be a long shot for the role. Instead, keep an eye on former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce for the role.

Pierce, who also interviewed for the Giants’ head coaching position, is a former Giants linebacker and Super Bowl champion widely regarded as one of the best young defensive minds in the league. 

While Pierce is still hoping to land a head coaching role, if he doesn’t, the Giants, having interviewed him for their head coaching role, are certain to pass along their favorable impressions to Harbaugh for his consideration.

The special teams coordinator role is even more uncertain. Harbaugh, having that special teams background, will not look to take on that role himself. Might he consider retaining Michael Ghobrial for the role? 

At the start of last season, Ghobrial had the Giants' special teams units in the top 10 in just about every major statistical category. Still, as injuries piled up and some of his core players were needed on both offense and defense, the unit as a whole slumped. 

Ghobrial was also hamstrung with the kicker situation, which by year’s end seemed to stabilize when the team promoted Ben Sauls from the practice squad.

What about the rest of the staff?

New York Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo did a stellar job with what was once an Achilles heel for the Giants. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Once Harbaugh finalizes the coordinator positions, those men will likely have input on the position assistants under them, and the first question is whether any of the Giants’ current staff might be retained.

Harbaugh, who had a large staff in Baltimore, is unlikely to retain many members of the current Giants coaching staff, particularly on defense. 

Offensively, a strong case could be made to retain offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, assistant offensive line coach James Ferentz, and running backs coach Ladell Betts. 

The Giants' offensive line, while not a top-5 unit in the league, made a stunning leap forward in its development as a whole under Bricillo’s two-year watch thus far. 

In particular, younger players like center John Michael Schmitz and offensive tackle Marcus Mbow, the team’s fifth-round pick last year, took significant leaps forward in their respective development under Bricillo’s watch.

Under Betts, the Giants' rushing game finished fifth in the league with an average of 129.1 yards per game, and 18th in rushing yards per play (4.3 yards per play). With all three Giants running backs–Tyrone Tracy Jr, Cam Skattebo, and Devin Singletary– finishing with PFF rushing grades of 81.0, 73.4, and 72.3, respectively.

What will his working relationship with general manager Joe Schoen be like? 

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and new head coach John Harbaugh will have a collaborative working relationship. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Clearly, Harbaugh was comfortable working with general manager Joe Schoen, who was initially viewed by many as the main roadblock. 

The truth is that Schoen, who opened a line of communication with Harbaugh long before the head coach came in for his interview, is widely regarded as easy to work with and is willing to acquiesce to the head coach when a strong enough case is made for a certain approach.

That was the situation with Jaxson Dart, whom Daboll was reportedly all-in on drafting, but on whom Schoen reportedly had some doubts. 

Harbaugh is no stranger to working with general managers, so the thought of him demanding his own yes-man was never realistic.

Giants ownership has long insisted that the general manager and head coach have a collaborative relationship, and if Daboll was given some of what he lobbied for, certainly Harbaugh, given his pedigree, should be able to do the same, if not more often.

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