Now that he's officially the head coach of the New York Giants, John Harbaugh has taken no prisoners. He got the team to fire Kevin Abrams before moving on from the entire defensive coaching staff, yet this is only the start as additional sweeping changes are coming across the next few days.
Giants fans were expecting significant change to the organizational makeup, but nobody expected this. After all, this is what Harbaugh fought so hard for in contract negotiations, which led to the minor hiccup in talks to begin with. But Chris and John Mara are willing to swallow their pride for this one.
In addition to moving on from Abrams, the Giants made another huge change. Head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes will no longer serve in that role, but he will remain with the organization as he's still expected to oversee the department.
Head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes will remain with the organization but his role will change. There will be additions to the training staff, likely from Baltimore with ties to John Harbaugh.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) January 22, 2026
Barnes had been the team's head athletic trainer since 1980. https://t.co/dq1GgSswl4 pic.twitter.com/MkEj9gnM5m
Barnes was basically untouchable in that facility and was beloved by the Mara family. So the fact they're letting the 63-year-old alter his role in any capacity is telling that they're serious about letting him fulfill his vision.
John Harbaugh made Ronnie Barnes the latest part of the Giants' coaching staff overhaul
The 73-year-old trainer has been with the team since 1976 and has been their athletic trainer since 1981, so this is a pretty massive move. He was with the Giants before guys like Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms, so there's no denying Barnes is a franchise icon who is very respected in the building.
In addition to Barnes' own firing, Harbaugh reportedly plans to bring a restructured training staff to New York, presumably with plenty of ties from the Ravens' own training staff. The same could be said for the new coaching staff, as the Super Bowl-winning coach clearly values that winning pedigree.
Barnes was also the senior vice president of medical services from 2009 to 2022, so the Maras have trusted him for a while. Frankly, though, if it weren't for Harbaugh, this would have been someone who would have had that job for life, so they're still granting him the courtesy of staying around.
The Giants are a franchise with a long history of nepotism and a refusal to fire the coaches or executives who John Mara likes to keep around, like Joe Schoen. So the fact that they're actually moving on from people like Barnes and Abrams is showing that Harbaugh's desire for change starts at the top
Through all of the change, here's hoping that Tim McDonnell is the next to go.