It still doesn't feel real. I'm not convinced this isn't all a dream. John Harbaugh is going to be the next head coach of the New York Giants, and this is a state of euphoria I haven't felt since 2022. The arrow is finally pointing up in New York, and the excitement over bringing in a Super Bowl-winning coach is completely warranted, since this could be a franchise-changing hire.
Even though the 63-year-old left the facility without a new deal, they still made it happen before he met with the Titans. The other team involved in the Harbaugh sweepstakes was the Atlanta Falcons, who are apparently planning to interview an ex-Giant for their head coaching vacancy later this week.
Mike Garafolo reported that the Falcons are planning to speak with ex-Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce for their head coaching vacancy, which is a dramatic fall from grace who was being seriously considered by Harbaugh, but Atlanta is clearly back to square one in their head coaching search.
After being passed over for the NY Giants' head coaching job, Antonio Pierce is interviewing for the Atlanta Falcons' opening
The Super Bowl champion compiled a 9-17 record at the helm in Las Vegas, which isn't great, but his 4-13 record in 2024 is still better than how Pete Carroll fared this past season. However, Pierce led the Raiders to a 5-4 record as the interim coach, but he was never going to be the long-term fix for that franchise.
As a head coach, Pierce struggled with game management and had some drama with some star players, but the 47-year-old was mostly respected in the locker room. That was the main reason some Giants fans wanted him on Brian Daboll's staff at DC, since he clearly belongs on an NFL coaching staff.
Garafolo's report also revealed that Falcons' president of football Matt Ryan, and Pierce spent the season as colleagues at CBS, so their interview could just be a friendly courtesy. But this also comes on the heels of his Giants' interview, which was definitely a courtesy meeting on John Mara's end.
Antonio Pierce likely wouldn't be the defensive coordinator, since Jeff Ulbrich will probably be back. But if he became a top assistant as an associate head coach/linebackers coach, it's well worth the risk. Just like how the Giants do with Harbaugh, Ryan has a vision for how he wants to build this Falcons team going forward, so even if it isn't as the head coach, Pierce has a spot in Atlanta somewhere.