After four seasons, the New York Giants moved on from head coach Brian Daboll. The team then signed former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was perhaps the most sought-after coach in this head-coaching cycle.
Following a successful Ravens tenure, which included a Super Bowl win, 12 postseason appearances, six division titles and one Coach of the Year award, Harbaugh will hope to achieve similar success in New York.
However, one former NFL head coach has warned Harbaugh about his time in New York.
New York Giants Head Coach Receives Stern Warning
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith spoke on Harbaugh taking over the New York Giants. Smith said, “I don’t know if he’ll be able to turn them around in Year 1. They have a lot of young talent, and I think it will take a bit of time for Coach Harbaugh to stamp his identity on that team. It might look a lot better in Year 2 than it does in Year 1.”
Despite not being particularly optimistic about Harbaugh’s first season, Smith did say, “I’m interested to see the New York Giants because I know John Harbaugh will get it done and do a great job there.”
Turning around a team that won a combined seven games over two seasons does appear to be a difficult task for Harbaugh. However, both Harbaugh brothers have a history of accomplishing such tasks.
Giants Wire’s John Fennelly noted: “The Harbaughs are famous for quick turnaround jobs, and some see the Giants as a team much like the San Francisco 49ers that John’s brother Jim took over in 2011 — a team full of high draft picks and exceptional talent that was performing poorly.
Jim led those Niners, who were coming off eight consecutive non-winning seasons, to a 13-3 record and the NFC Championship Game. John has also had success turning teams around. He took over a 5-11 Baltimore Ravens team in 2008 and led them to an 11-5 season, losing the AFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Optimistic Perspective for the New York Giants
Among those who seem to disagree with Smith and believe that Harbaugh will be able to achieve a quick turnaround in New York is ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who predicted the Giants would make the playoffs.
Barnwell wrote: “The Giants look a lot like the Bears and Jaguars did a year ago — better than they seemed the year before and in position to make a leap.
The Giants went 1-6 in one-score games, losing three contests in which they held a lead in the final minute of regulation and four in which their win probability topped 90% in the fourth quarter. That can be a product of a team that doesn’t know how to win, but as we saw with the shift between the 2024 and 2025 Bears and what they did in the fourth quarters of games, even young teams tend to figure out that side of the game quicker than expected.”
Barnwell added of Harbaugh, “The most important upgrade might be head coach John Harbaugh, who joins after an 18-year run with the Ravens. His experience and game management skills should help the Giants in those close games, but it’s fair to note that Giants fans aren’t especially enthused about his staff, particularly the decision to hire Matt Nagy and Greg Roman to run the offense.”
Former NFL Head Coach Gives Stern Warning to Giants’ John Harbaugh