The New York Giants got lucky; they struck first because everyone else is still left picking up the pieces. After they hired John Harbaugh, the only other team to hire a head coach was the Atlanta Falcons, but this head coaching carousel has been flipped on its head time and time again.
The 63-year-old was the belle of the ball this coaching search, but there could be a new one available. Following a brutal OT loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday night, it marked another divisional round exit for the Buffalo Bills, who shocked everyone by firing head coach Sean McDermott.
The #Bills are moving on from coach Sean McDermott after their loss in the divisional round to the #Broncos, per The Insiders. pic.twitter.com/VhQGWwfa6s
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2026
McDermott compiled a 98-50 record at the helm in Buffalo and took them to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons at the helm. However, despite having Josh Allen, they were never able to get over the hump and reach the Super Bowl. This year was their best shot to do so, but still came up short.
The Bills' opening instantly joins the Ravens among the most desirable, but it's also proof that the Giants caught a major break. If McDermott were fired a week earlier, they certainly would have been in the running to hire Harbaugh, and it would've been hard for him to turn down the chance to coach Allen.
The New York Giants should be thanking their lucky stars the Bills didn't have a chance to pursue John Harbaugh
The Bills have an immediate playoff roster and talent on both sides of the football, but unlike the Falcons (who actually were Big Blue's biggest competition for Harbaugh), they have their QB situation figured out. And it isn't often you can leapfrog from coaching one generational QB to another.
In New York, the 63-year-old will be helping the Giants out of a years-long rebuild, but still expects to compete this season. In Buffalo, he would certainly be able to compete, as their nucleus is in place to be contenders, even if their defense wasn't up to par despite having a defensive-minded coach.
The Giants' future is incredibly promising because they hired a head coach with an elite track record, but like McDermott, Harbaugh has struggled to get far in the playoffs. He had one ring in 2012, but struggled to get the Ravens over the hump in the AFC with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson at QB.
The Giants aren't complaining. They have a foundation in place for Jaxson Dart and are built to contend, but if more playoff teams shook things up, their pursuit would have been complicated. It's unknown whether other teams were going to meet his demands like John Mara and Joe Schoen did, which is why this ended well for the G-Men.
It was inevitable Harbaugh was going to end up in New York, but McDermott's firing suggests it could have been a vastly different destination within the Empire State.