This year's NFL Head Coach carousel has been the most chaotic in recent memory, with an astonishing nine openings currently available to be filled. A big reason for the historic nature of this hiring cycle is the departure of the two longest tenured coaches in the league, with Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin stepping down and Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh being fired.
Tomlin appears to be taking at least the 2026 season off before re-evaluating his future, but Harbaugh has but the proverbial belle of the ball for several organizations. It appeared that he would be taking at least a few formal interviews before making his decision, but the New York Giants seemingly aren't taking no for an answer.
Despite reports that he was set to head home following his interview with New York on Wednesday, Adam Schefter reported late that night that the two sides are now working to finalize a deal to make Harbaugh their next HC.
John Harbaugh and the Giants are working to finalize an agreement to make him New York’s next head coach and, barring a setback, a deal is expected, multiple sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 15, 2026
The deal is not final and contract numbers still are being negotiated. “There still is a lot to work… pic.twitter.com/CQmSljImf9
John Harbaugh looks to be a New York Giant, ending a nearly two-decade run as the Pittsburgh Steelers top rival
Even though the Steelers got the better of Harbaugh during their 18 years battling for AFC North supremacy, he certainly made life more difficult on them. The thought of both he and Tomlin leaving the division is almost hard to fathom, yet here we are.
As successful as his time with the Ravens ultimately was, just as Tomlin's was with the Steelers, there is a reason he found himself in need of a new home following the season.
Years of dominant regular seasons but (mostly) swift playoff exits created a similar but different problem to what Pittsburgh was having under Tomlin: how do they get over the hump? Baltimore theoretically had the quarterback and overall roster talent to compete for a Super Bowl, but something always derailed their season before they could get there.
The Giants are clearly hoping that whatever the problem really was is being left behind in Baltimore, and that the Harbaugh they are getting is more like the one that won a Super Bowl in 2012. With a young and talented defense and a hopeful franchise QB in Jaxson Dart, they might have the right formula to make it work.
Maybe it's the Steelers fan in me, or maybe it's the mountain of recent evidence against him still being an elite coach, but I won't be shocked if this doesn't work out the way many are expecting. Only time will tell.