The New York Giants finalized a contract Saturday afternoon with new head coach John Harbaugh. The deal is expected to pay him about $100 million over five-years, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches.
Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 years are head coach of the franchise. He now takes over the helm of the Giants, who fired head coach Brian Daboll mid-season.
What does Harbaugh bring to the Giants? Well, a vast amount of knowledge and experience is the first thing that comes to mind. Harbaugh has gone 193-124 as a NFL head coach. His background before becoming a head coach was mostly special teams and some defensive backfield coaching. Harbaugh comes in as a CEO-type coach, something the Giants organization has needed.
Contract negotiations between the Giants and Harbaugh stretched out after he initially agreed to becoming the teams’ head coach late Wednesday night. Speculation was rampant as fans and media wondered what the hold up was.
Who Will Harbaugh Report To?
Organizational reporting structure was reportedly part of the reason for the extended negotiation. Throughout their history, the Giants organization have had their head coach report to the general manager, not directly to ownership. In Baltimore, Harbaugh reported to ownership. Reports have surfaced stating the Giants have indeed changed their reporting structure and Harbaugh will report to Giants owners’ John Mara and Steve Tisch. Just how much say Harbaugh will have in personnel decisions is unclear at this time.
Regardless who their direct reports are, Harbaugh and Giants GM Joe Schoen, will now work together to bring a winning mentality back to the organization.
The Giants wanted Harbaugh, and Harbaugh wanted the Giants. It was a marriage that seemed too perfect to not happen once Harbaugh became available. The Giants have a young nucleus in place to build around, something that surely attracted Harbaugh to the team.
