Done Deal: John Harbaugh to Sign on the Dotted Line with Giants

Exhale, Giants fans. John Harbaugh is indeed coming to New York.

John Harbaugh is signed, sealed and delivered. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Things appeared to get a little shaky for the New York Giants in their quest to move John Harbaugh from having verbally agreed to accepting their offer to become the franchise’s 24th head coach in its 101-year history to actually signing on the dotted line.

But all’s well that ends well: the remaining contract language, reportedly intended to clarify reporting and organizational structures, has been cleared up.

Harbaugh, per Ian O'Connor of The Athletic, has signed his new five-year deal worth around $100 million and will be formally introduced as the Giants’ new head coach in a Tuesday press conference.

It is done. John Harbaugh is the head coach of the New York Giants

— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 17, 2026

O'Connor also reported that Harbaugh told him he will report directly to team co-owner John Mara and not to general manager Joe Schoen, with whom he will collaborate on fixing the Giants roster.

The contract mini-saga first grew legs when, after it was widely reported that Harbaugh, following a whirlwind visit to the Giants’ East Rutherford headquarters, came away so impressed with the franchise that he cancelled a planned interview with the Tennessee Titans, who were prepared to meet with Harbaugh at his Baltimore area home on Thursday.

But things took a weird turn when the Giants, after posting a smirking emoji on X (formerly Twitter) amid reports that the team and Harbaugh had agreed to enter into a union, went radio silent, issuing no further confirmation of the media reports.

What followed were two-plus days of further reporting/speculation about the holdup of the announcement, ranging from a power struggle between Schoen and Harbaugh to Harbaugh wanting changes in the organization’s structure, to even money.

The consistent reports, though, centered on structure, with the language in the 40+ page contract reportedly undergoing multiple revisions to clarify those remaining issues.

While, in the end, things got done, it still begs the question of why these issues popped up in the first place. In the long run, it doesn’t matter now that Harbaugh is signed, sealed, and delivered to 1925 Giants Drive, but it’s still one of the more bizarre sequences the Giants have had in a head coaching hire.

What’s Next?

Harbaugh is scheduled to be formally introduced at a press conference as the Giants' new head coach on Tuesday afternoon.

John Harbaugh to me to New York Giants fans: "It's the New York Football Giants. I can't wait to get started. I know how great our fans are. I've seen them close up enough. We are going to build a team that's going to play a brand of football that you will be proud of."

— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 17, 2026

He is also expected to meet with members of the Giants’ previous coaching staff, who will be returning from a two-week vacation, to determine who might be interested in staying on and, more importantly, who he wants to retain.

Harbaugh is also expected to have the Giants submit a handful of requests to the Ravens seeking permission to speak with members of his former Ravens staff about joining him with the Giants. 

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has been linked to the offensive coordinator role. Still, the Giants will first have to satisfy the Rooney Rule before finalizing any coordinator hires.

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