The New York Giants made headlines earlier this week with the announcement that John Harbaugh-yes, the Super Bowl-winning former Ravens head coach-was set to take over as their next head coach. With eight NFL teams searching for new leadership this offseason, Harbaugh was widely seen as the top name on the market. So when reports surfaced that he and the Giants had reached an agreement, it looked like New York had landed the biggest prize in this year’s coaching carousel.
But as of Friday morning, there’s still no deal in place.
Despite initial reports that the two sides had agreed in principle, the Giants and Harbaugh have yet to finalize a contract. According to CBS Sports, the team had the entire day Thursday to get the paperwork done, but no signature ever hit the page. That’s raised some eyebrows across the league-and brought back memories of a couple of infamous NFL coaching near-misses.
The most well-known, of course, is Bill Belichick’s brief and bizarre tenure as head coach of the New York Jets. He accepted the job, then famously resigned by scribbling a note on a napkin before heading to New England, where he built a dynasty. Then there’s Josh McDaniels, who in 2018 accepted the Colts’ head coaching job before reversing course and staying in Foxborough as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
Now, to be clear, there’s no indication that Harbaugh is planning a similar about-face. But the lack of a signed contract means the door technically remains open. Until ink hits paper, other teams could still make a call, and Harbaugh could still listen.
That said, this doesn’t appear to be a case of cold feet. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the holdup isn’t about money-it’s about contract language. One source emphasized that “there’s no derailment and nothing has changed,” and that both sides are still engaged in active talks.
So what we have right now is a bit of a waiting game. The Giants clearly want Harbaugh.
Harbaugh appears to want the Giants. But until the final details are hammered out, this remains one of the more intriguing storylines of the offseason.
For a franchise looking to reset its culture and reestablish its identity, landing a proven leader like Harbaugh would be a massive step forward. But until the deal is done, Giants fans-and the rest of the league-will be watching closely.