What Might Giants Head Coaching Candidate John Harbaugh Require?

Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland shared what he's heard from a league source.

The Giants are reportedly looking to interview John Harbaugh for their head coaching position some time next week. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

So just what might it take for the New York Giants to convince former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to join Big Blue?

A lot, apparently, according to longtime NFL reporter Tony Grossi, who, during an appearance with ESPN Cleveland, provided a prospective glimpse into Harbaugh’s alleged requirements from his next employer, and they are quite steep indeed.

.@TonyGrossi has found out what John Harbaugh's requirements are to be interested in his next HC job:

- $20 million per year
- $10 million staff budget
- Total authority over the roster
- Would like to select his own GM

Would you do this if you're the Browns? pic.twitter.com/fvswssVSjF

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 9, 2026

“I talked to a league insider who speculates on what he's heard about Harbaugh's prerequisites to even be interested in your job,” Grossi said. 

“Alright, $20 million a year, $10 million assistant coach budget, total authority over the roster, and also would like to select his own (personnel) guy to lean on.” 

When asked by the hosts if that meant Harbaugh would want more say over the roster than what he had in Baltimore, Grossi, who cited the Browns, Giants, Dolphins, and Falcons as the four teams likely to be in the Harbaugh sweepstakes, responded affirmatively.  

Would the Giants agree to these alleged requirements?

It needs to be emphasized that Grossi is reporting what a source speculates, not what actually is true.

But for argument’s sake, let’s say all of these points were true. Would the Giants agree to all of them?

We’ll start with the finances. The Giants, according to Forbes, ranked among the top five most valuable sports franchises, ranking fourth with an estimated value of $10.1 billion. 

If that figure is accurate, spending $20 million a year for a head coach with Harbaugh’s pedigree and $10 million to get the best coaches possible shouldn’t even be an afterthought if the ownership brass truly believes Harbaugh can turn the franchise around.  

The potential sticking points could be who has the final say over the roster and the alleged requirement that Harbaugh bring in his own general manager.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

No head coach in the history of the Giants has ever had full autonomy over the roster. Giants Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells, who famously once said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries,” argued he should have more of a say over the roster, only to be rebuked. 

That said, the Giants' general managers, while having final say over the roster, also had the directive from ownership to collaborate with the head coach and his staff in finding talent that fit what they needed.

A problem arises when there is a disagreement between the GM and the head coach, where, in most cases, the GM’s opinion is the final say. To potentially nip such an issue in the bud, would the Giants’ ownership consider shifting the franchise's power balance to make it more coach-centric? 

That’s the question the Giants will need to address, should it come up. One might argue that their current way of doing business hasn’t yielded sustainable results over the last decade plus. What would need to change for that pattern to stop?  

The Giants and Harbaugh are reportedly set to meet next week. In the meantime, it’s also worth watching to see if any other head coaching jobs open up after Wild Card weekend that might further throw a monkey wrench into the field.

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