The New York Giants' plan amid their head coaching search is pretty evident: bring John Harbaugh to New York by any means necessary. The Giants' culture has been in flux for years now, and there's nobody better suited to help them return to the playoffs than the Super Bowl-winning head coach.
However, their pursuit of Harbaugh won't come without competition. Practically every team with a head coaching opening is interested in a coach with his track record, but he isn't planning to interview with all of them, which would be alarming if the Giants weren't one of the teams at the top of his list.
There is a "belief" among other coaching candidates that John Harbaugh will land with either the Giants or the Atlanta Falcons, SNY's Connor Hughes reports:
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) January 12, 2026
"...with the loser of those sweepstakes landing Kevin Stefanski.
The Miami Dolphins have Harbaugh interest, too, although… pic.twitter.com/p0LqgMVAGh
SNY's Connor Hughes reported that the current expectation is that he'll land with either the Giants or Atlanta Falcons, who seem to be the leaders in the pack. The Dolphins and Titans are also expected to be involved, but it's increasingly likely that Harbaugh will coach in New York in 2026.
The Giants know they are the clear favorites to hire John Harbaugh
Hughes' report backs up CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones' report last night, which also said the Giants and Falcons are the frontrunners. But while the Falcons boast a significantly more talented roster, Big Blue is more likely to give the 63-year-old the complete control he so desperately craves.
Hughes also revealed that many believe the team that doesn't hire Harbaugh will land Kevin Stefanski, which is another option that Giants fans won't be upset about. He's a younger, more innovative offensive mind who will work more directly with Jaxson Dart, but most fans still prefer hiring Harbaugh.
Joe Schoen is operating on borrowed time, and John Mara (for health reasons) and Steve Tisch both aren't involved in the day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, the Falcons just hired Matt Ryan to be their president of football, and Harbaugh likely won't want that much oversight from a first-time executive.
The other thing that it's reported that Harbaugh desires with his new team is stability at quarterback, which is another area where the G-Men's job is more desirable. Dart just completed an impressive rookie campaign, and apparently, Harbaugh is quite taken with the idea of coaching him.
Despite Dart's concussion problems, there's no doubting he cemented himself as the long-term answer under center. Compared to Michael Penix Jr., who has accomplished less and is fresh off another season-ending injury, a more intriguing QB option is pretty apparent to any real football fan.
However, competing in the NFC South will be far easier than doing the same in the NFC East, but this promising young roster needs a CEO-type leader like Harbaugh to whip them into shape—and the Giants' opening is the best opportunity to mold a roster from the ground up.