The John Harbaugh race rolls on this week, as multiple teams continue to vie for the former Super Bowl-winning head coach’s services, including the New York Giants.
With Mike Tomlin stepping down from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, there are nine total head coaching vacancies across the NFL, but it seems like Harbaugh is beginning to whittle down his options.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, three teams have begun to stand out amongst the rest.
With the Giants, Atlanta Falcons, and Tennessee Titans all in a mad dash to get their guy, which one is in the best position to hire the most coveted coach in this cycle?
Giants Very Public in Their Harbaugh Pursuit
As SNY’s NFL insider Connor Hughes pointed out, the New York Giants have been very public with the details of their courting of Harbaugh.
“At this point I don’t know why the Giants do if they go through all of this and don’t get Harbaugh. Crazy amount of information coming out on what they’re doing to get him. To not would be an interesting look,” Hughes said in response to a report from The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor.
Is it confidence that they’ll land their No. 1 candidate? Or to put public pressure on Harbaugh to take the job?
So far, the Giants haven’t had a formal interview with the former Baltimore Ravens head coach, but phone conversations and lunches have been had, as reported by O’Connor on Monday night.
Even Brian Daboll, the previous head coach in New York, has reportedly been recommending the job to Harbaugh just months after being fired.
It’s obvious the Giants are putting the full-court press on Harbaugh, but what about the other teams?
Falcons Get a Harbaugh Interview in Early
Unfortunately for the New York Giants, the Atlanta Falcons were the first team to have an official interview with Harbaugh, as reported by the team’s own X account.
The Falcons’ job is certainly attractive. They have one of the most talented offensive players in the league in Bijan Robinson, a solid foundation of young players at important positions, and their division, the NFC South, was just won by a team with an 8-9 record.
Harbaugh could immediately come in and put Atlanta back on track.
New President of Football Operations Matt Ryan can even offer Harbaugh something he can’t get from the Giants or Tennessee Titans: his own pick at general manager.
With Joe Schoen and Mike Borgonzi already in place, the former Baltimore Ravens coach may value the ability to pick his guy in the front office.
How Attractive Are the Titans?
The New York Giants have a general manager in place, similar to the Tennessee Titans.
But the difference is, Harbaugh may have a prior connection with Borgonzi that he doesn’t have with Schoen.
Borgonzi was hired from the Kansas City Chiefs and has a relationship with head coach Andy Reid, Harbaugh’s mentor.
Among the prior connections, former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward is quite the draw, along with almost $100 million in cap space to work with heading into 2026, as NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo pointed out.
Not saying he’s going to Tennessee. Just that, for now, I expect them to be firmly in the mix.
With the three options laid out in front of Harbaugh, all that’s left to do is interview with the remaining two teams and make his decision.
Insider Reveals Two Biggest Threats in Giants Pursuit of John Harbaugh