The New York Giants took the first shot, and their best shot, at landing John Harbaugh.
Now they’ll have to wait to find out if it was enough.
They met with the coveted former Baltimore Ravens coach at their facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Wednesday for his first in-person interview since his stunning firing from Baltimore last week. It was what the Giants hoped was the final piece in what has been an extensive courtship. And a team source told me they let Harbaugh know they are willing to offer “almost anything he wants” if he takes the job.
There was even some hope in the Giants organization that they’d be able to close the deal before Harbaugh visited with anybody else. However, the 62-year-old left without a deal on Wednesday evening and flew back home to the Baltimore area, where he reportedly will meet with a contingent from the Tennessee Titans at his home on Thursday. A source indicated to me that Harbaugh also “plans” to speak with officials from the Atlanta Falcons, too, though it’s unclear if any in-person meeting with them has been set up.
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Harbaugh’s resolution to proceed chatting with different groups isn’t essentially a nasty signal for the Giants, in line with the supply. After spending the final 18 years teaching in a single place, he apparently simply needs to take just a few days to contemplate his subsequent transfer. The expectation is that Harbaugh will decide by early subsequent week, if not sooner, although inevitably the timetable is totally as much as him.
The Giants actually tried to move off every other conferences for Harbaugh whereas that they had him at their workplace. They flew him to New Jersey on co-owner Steve Tisch’s non-public aircraft on Wednesday morning, in line with a supply, and spent greater than 5 hours assembly with him and touring the power. Throughout his time there, he met with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, common supervisor Joe Schoen, and different members of the Giants entrance workplace. And he even met in particular person with one of many Giants’ largest promoting factors — promising younger quarterback Jaxson Dart.
This was the end result of a pursuit that started, for the Giants, earlier than Harbaugh was even out there. They’d inner discussions about him quickly after they fired former coach Brian Daboll in November, in line with a crew supply. They usually appeared satisfied that he would ultimately be out there even earlier than his Ravens misplaced their season finale to the Steelers and missed the playoffs, which led to the Ravens firing him the subsequent day.
As soon as Harbaugh was free, he rocketed to the highest of their record. However the Giants have been one in all 9 groups that sources informed me had contacted Harbaugh — together with a number of that also had a head coach employed on the time. Harbaugh has spoken to officers with a number of of these groups over the past 10 days, one supply informed me, together with a dialog with the Falcons’ new president of soccer, Matt Ryan, that the crew introduced as an interview final week.
Harbaugh has seemingly targeted his consideration on the Falcons, Titans and Giants, although a number of league sources imagine the Miami Dolphins additionally stay a risk. A number of sources relayed to me the Titans are the largest “risk” to land Harbaugh, due to their draft capital, their cap house, and their spectacular younger quarterback, Cam Ward. One other supply cautioned that the Inexperienced Bay Packers may very well be a “sturdy darkish horse” in the event that they’re unable to achieve a brand new contract settlement within the subsequent few days with their coach, Matt LaFleur.
In the meantime, the Giants, sensing a chance to remake their franchise within the wake of a decade of largely shedding, have been “going for broke”, as one crew supply informed me, of their effort to persuade Harbaugh they’re the very best franchise for him. Chris Mara, their senior personnel marketing consultant (and John Mara’s brother), made the trek right down to the Baltimore space final week to go to Harbaugh at his dwelling. John Mara, who has been present process common most cancers remedies, has spoken with Harbaugh by cellphone, too.
And Schoen has had a number of in depth conversations with Harbaugh, in line with a supply, and has assured the coach that he’s prepared to cede some energy over personnel selections if Harbaugh takes the job. It’s unclear if Harbaugh has requested for whole management, or if the Giants can be prepared to offer that if he asks, however the Giants imagine that Harbaugh feels comfy with Schoen as his common supervisor.
In reality, one supply acquainted with Harbaugh’s desirous about the Giants informed me that to date “it looks like a fantastic match.”
The Giants, although, are leaving nothing to probability. On the crew’s request, Harbaugh has reportedly obtained cellphone calls from a number of distinguished Giants alumni, together with two-time Tremendous Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin and his two-time Tremendous Bowl MVP quarterback, Eli Manning. Not too long ago fired Giants coach Brian Daboll even known as Harbaugh and, a supply informed me, raved about his expertise within the group.
Brian Daboll has spoken extremely of the Giants in his coversations with John Harbaugh simply two months after getting fired by the franchise, a supply informed FOX Sports activities’ Ralph Vacchiano. (Todd Rosenberg/NFL)
The Giants have additionally let Harbaugh know that they’re prepared to satisfy his asking value (anticipated to be round $20 million per yr), shell out hundreds of thousands extra for what they hope might be a prime teaching employees, and make no matter enhancements or additions he needs all through their program.
The supply believed Harbaugh’s requests to date have been “important,” however “don’t appear to be too in depth.”
“However he’s price it,” the supply informed me. “You don’t get a shot at a coach like this too usually. Typically you simply need to do no matter it takes.”
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He spent six years masking the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and earlier than that, 16 years masking the Giants and the NFL for the New York Every day Information. Comply with him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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