For the first time in 18 years, John Harbaugh will be wearing a different logo on the sidelines. Harbaugh, the former Baltimore Ravens head coach, was named the New York Giants’ new head coach earlier this week.
With the Giants, Harbaugh will be tasked with taking promising rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and a struggling franchise to the next level, and Harbaugh has extensive experience with star quarterbacks after coaching two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
Harbaugh is appreciative of his time in Baltimore and what he built with Jackson. However, he still feels the two are a little underappreciated for the innovations that they’ve brought to the NFL.
Not Enough Credit
John Harbaugh has been making the media rounds since being introduced as the Giants’ head coach, and one of his first stops was WFAN, one of the biggest radio stations in New York.
Harbaugh on “Evan & Tiki,” with Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber, discussed a variety of topics, including his relationship with Lamar Jackson and his appreciation for what the two accomplished in their time together.
“Phenomenal relationship with Lamar,” Harbaugh said. “Everything has been absolutely positive. Ask him. He’ll tell you. We love each other. We tell each other we love each other. He’s one of my favorite human beings. We revolutionized offensive football with Lamar Jackson. I don’t know why that doesn’t get written about more, so let’s talk about that twice.”
Later in the interview, Harbaugh expanded on how Jackson and he had revolutionized football.
“There’s elements of offensive football now that weren’t around really 10 years ago that people are using now,” Harbaugh said. “It’s quarterback-driven stuff, the stuff we were talking about. It’s also RPO’s. Run, pass options, and there’s different iterations of that. When you can do those kinds of things with a quarterback, it just makes everything else better.”
Jackson Has Yet to Comment on Harbaugh
All season, conflicting reports emerged about whether Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh got along, and from Jackson’s perspective, fans never got a direct answer on how he felt about Harbaugh.
After the Ravens’ devastating loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that cost them the AFC North, Jackson was asked whether he wanted Harbaugh to return as the Ravens’ head coach. Jackson’s answers weren’t exactly a vote of confidence. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley posted a video of Jackson’s answer on his Twitter account.
“You asking me about next year, Jamison, and I’m still caught up in what just happened tonight,” Jackson said. “I can’t answer that right now. I’m still stunned. I’m still trying to process what just happened.”
Soon after, the Ravens fired Harbaugh, and fans still await to hear directly from Jackson on the matter.
Now, though, Jackson will have a new coach familiar to the Harbaugh family, as the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator Jesse Minter becomes Jackson’s second head coach in the NFL.
John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson experienced some amazing highs and some of their lowest lows this past season, but through it all, their legacies will remain intertwined.
John Harbaugh Says Lamar Jackson and Him Revolutionized Offensive Football