The New York Giants didn’t have a great 2025 campaign, but they appear poised to take a step forward in 2026. With a collection of talented up-and-coming players at their disposal, and a new head coach in John Harbaugh, there’s good reason to believe that the Giants are on their way to re-emerging as a playoff contender.
While New York entered the offseason unsure about who its next head coach would be, it quickly moved to hire Harbaugh after he was surprisingly fired by the Baltimore Ravens. The decision to hire Harbaugh has received positive reviews from fans, and if offensive lineman Jon Runyan‘s comments are anything to go by, it seems like the players are excited to have him in town, too.
Jon Runyan Expresses Excitement After the Giants Hire John Harbaugh
After a bit of a disappointing first season with the Giants, Runyan put together a nice bounce-back campaign in 2025, even as the team’s offense struggled to get things going for much of the year. With Runyan helping out on the interior, he figures to continue playing a big role on New York’s offensive line moving forward.
While Runyan doesn’t have any experience playing for Harbaugh, he played for his brother, Jim Harbaugh, during his time in college with the Michigan Wolverines. Obviously, they aren’t the same person, but it’s clear that John and Jim share several similarities when it comes to their work as head coaches.
As a result, if there’s a guy who knows what Harbaugh brings to the table for New York, it’s Runyan. When asked about the Giants’ decision to hire Harbaugh as their new head coach, Runyan made it clear he believes he’s exactly what the team needs after it labored through another tough campaign in 2025.
“Everywhere the Harbaughs go, they are winning. Plain and simple,” Runyan recently told Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post. “It’s exciting. That’s exactly what we need in New York right now. Ever since he got let go, I had the feeling that he was the perfect candidate for the Giants. He’s not going to take any B.S. from anybody. You’re going to do it his way, and his way has worked for a lot of years with proven results.”
John Harbaugh Looking to Get the Giants Back on Track
GettyFormer Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the New York Giants.
While the Giants won just four games this past season, things aren’t as bad as they may appear. The team seems to have found its quarterback of the future, Jaxson Dart, and it has several intriguing weapons around him. Injuries made the offense a shell of itself, but Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Cam Skattebo are guys who can grow around Dart in the future.
Harbaugh helped turn Baltimore into a consistent Super Bowl contender during his time with them, and he likely will be asked to do something similar now that he’s with New York. It may take some time, but things are looking up for the Giants right now, and if the team can put together a strong offseason of work, it could surprise folks when it returns to action in 2026.
Giants Offensive Lineman Sends Strong Message on New Coach John Harbaugh