Giants John Harbaugh Among Early Favorites for 'Coach of the Year' Honors

With a buttoned-up operation that hasn't been seen since Tom Coughlin, John Harbaugh is bringing legitimate optimism to a franchise that's won just 13 games in four years.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh talks with media after organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

As far as the New York Giants are concerned, there is nowhere to go but up following their third straight embarrassing season in which they finished with just four wins, one more than their franchise-setting worst 3-14 mark from the previous year’s campaign.

The arrival of head coach John Harbaugh has certainly sparked a lot of optimism at and around East Rutherford, as the veteran head coach, ahead of his 19th NFL season in the top spot, has been systematic in his implementation of the football program, leaving no detail unaddressed, whether it’s the Xs and Os or how the locker room is arranged.

That left a favorable impression on the Giants' internal media, who, in their recap of Harbaugh’s first spring program with the team, noted, “The players are being held to a high standard and working extremely hard to make sure they are ready to play at a high level come September.

“The operation is extremely organized and buttoned up, with everything being done for a reason based on winning. The feeling is much different compared to anything since Tom Coughlin was the team's head coach.”

Indeed, Harbaugh’s goal is to restore the Giants, who have a 13-38 record since their last postseason berth in 2022, to respectability.

As a result of all that positivity and the fact that the Giants have nowhere to go but up, Harbaugh is currently second behind Jesse Minter (his replacement in Baltimore) for AP Coach of the Year honors, according to FanDuel, which lists Harbaugh's odds at +850 for the award.

Harbaugh, who last year with the Ravens finished with his first sub-.500 season since 2021, has often been compared to Tom Coughlin, the Giants' two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach who was a stickler for details.

But where Harbaugh has a distinct advantage that Coughlin never had is in the power structure. Unlike Coughlin, Harbaugh reports directly to team ownership rather than the general manager.

This is important because it was long suspected that during Coughlin’s 12-year run as Giants head coach, there were disagreements with general manager Jerry Reese over player personnel, leaving the Hall of Fame candidate so frustrated that he resigned from the team following the 2015 season.

Harbaugh and current general manager Joe Schoen appear to have worked together without a hitch or whiff of any power struggle.

By giving Harbaugh, the first head coach in team history to have a direct reporting line to ownership, that kind of power, the Giants organization clearly feels good about its chances of returning to relevancy under the 63-year-old’s leadership.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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