The New York Giants have cast a wide net regarding their head coach vacancy. You can't blame them. That's what happens when you hire the wrong guy four times in a row. When Black Monday arrived, the initial candidate list seemed underwhelming.
There was Mike McCarthy, Lou Anarumo, Vance Joseph, and Kevin Stefanski, and not much else. It felt like general manager Joe Schoen would have to settle on an unexciting head coach once again. But then, the Baltimore Ravens threw the spanny-est of all spanners in the works and fired long-time head coach John Harbaugh.
The narrative surrounding Big Blue's HC search immediately shifted to an "all-in on Harbs" mentality, which excited most fans. Bringing in someone like Harbaugh could give this much-maligned franchise its first true sense of hope in over a decade.
Related: Giants’ first-round pick becomes inevitable if they hire John Harbaugh
That was until NFL insider Albert Breer posted an unassuming Miami Dolphins' general manager update to the timeline, instantly casting enormous doubts over Harbaugh's desire to coach in East Rutherford:
The Dolphins are interviewing Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander in-person today for their GM job, per sources.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 8, 2026
Sullivan did a Zoom interview with Miami on Tuesday. Alexander is meeting with the team for the first time.
At first glance, you read "Dolphins, Jon-Eric Sullivan, Chad Alexander" and likely think nothing of it. It's only when you realize that Harbs and Alexander spent 11 seasons together in Baltimore, including winning Super Bowl XLVII together in 2013. And you know what they say about shared history...
Giants fans can’t ignore what Chad Alexander might mean for John Harbaugh and the Dolphins
There’s no other way to put it for Giants fans -- this is teetering on full-blown disaster. Like, of course -- the moment New York finally lands a candidate worth getting excited about, he’s at risk of being ripped away... to Miami, of all places, leaving the G-Men stuck in a compromised position.
You literally can't make this stuff up.
Miami fired GM Chris Grier back in October and named Senior Personnel Executive Champ Kelly as the interim. Once the season ended, the search for a permanent replacement began, but throughout it all, it looked like they were sticking with head coach Mike McDaniel.
That is, until news broke Thursday that McDaniel had been fired -- leaving both the GM and head coach spots wide open, not 48 hours after Harbaugh was let go. Hmm. They say timing is everything.
That’s what makes this whole Dolphins situation such a gut punch for Big Blue Nation. With their shared history and previously established vision, Miami might already have the inside track on Harbaugh. Work with a guy you've known for decades and won with? Or work with Joe Schoen?
I wonder what he'd prefer as I roll my eyes through the back of my head.
If this ends with Harbaugh in South Beach and the Giants settling for someone else, don’t say Albert Breer didn’t give us the drop.