At the start of the morning on January 8, it had become painfully clear that the New York Giants’ head coach search had a No. 1 target, and that candidate was — and still is — former Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh. However, the latest NFL news should concern Big Blue, as the Miami Dolphins have officially entered the conversation.
The Dolphins elected to relieve head coach Mike McDaniel of his duties on January 8, fueling rumors that Miami has an “affinity” for Harbaugh.
Now, this alone may not worry the average Giants fan or the organization as a whole, but the following reports might. Beginning with ESPN NFL insider Peter Schrager.
“As of last night, the Miami Dolphins had no contact with John Harbaugh or his camp, per sources,” Schrager first noted. Adding: “I’d expect that to change. And if you’re connecting dots, Chad Alexander (interviewing for Dolphins GM job) has a long history with Harbaugh from their Baltimore days.”
Although Alexander’s relationship with Harbaugh and his brother, Jim, certainly doesn’t make the Dolphins a lock to land the coveted HC, some believe it makes them the new favorite.
New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy is one of those people. After the Miami news, Dunleavy posted that “Giants fans should get nervous.” Stating: “If [the] Fins hire Chad Alexander as GM, they become the clear John Harbaugh favorites.”
And this warning appears to have some legitimacy to it.
Dolphins Expected to Hire New GM Within the Next Couple of Days as John Harbaugh Watch Heats Up
GettyJohn Harbaugh at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium in 2019.
Harbaugh is not expected to interview for any head coach positions until after the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs. This is concerning for two reasons.
One, it could add more teams to the mix, let’s say an enticing franchise like the Buffalo Bills decides to move on from head coach Sean McDermott after years of coming up short with Josh Allen. That’s a big fear for the Giants, given the lure of Allen.
Two, it allows the Dolphins more time to hire their general manager. And if that GM is Alexander, it also allows Miami more time to sway Harbaugh on moving south.
“The Dolphins plan to hire a GM, most likely in the next day or two, before conducting their head coaching search, per sources,” NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported on January 8. He also relayed that the “four finalists for GM interviewing in-person [are] the [Los Angeles] Chargers’ Chad Alexander, [Green Bay] Packers’ Jon-Eric Sullivan, [San Francisco] 49ers’ Josh Williams and interim GM Champ Kelly.”
So, the Giants should get a pretty obvious hint at just how interested the Dolphins are in Harbaugh if they hire Alexander on January 9 or 10.
Giants Cannot Count Out a Bills Pursuit of John Harbaugh If Buffalo Loses to Jaguars
There are some theories floating around that the Packers could move on from Matt LaFleur, or the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles could move on from Nick Sirianni, but those theories feel less grounded in fact.
In the case of the Bills, rumors of McDermott’s potential hot seat feel very real.
Buffalo appeared to be considering an HC change last winter, as the Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs once again. With KC eliminated from contention, those rumors would only intensify if Buffalo lost to an upstart Jacksonville Jaguars team in round one of a wide-open playoffs.
SNY’s Giants insider Connor Hughes weighed in on the idea of the Bills or Eagles firing their head coaches on January 8, reacting: “The Bills I 100% get, but people really think the Eagles are going to fire a head coach who won the Super Bowl last year, has been to two Super Bowls in the last three years, has not missed the playoffs since he was hired, and has a career record of 59-26?”
Yeah, Giants fans may want to root against Jacksonville this weekend.
Giants Issued Clear John Harbaugh Warning as HC Search Takes a Turn