New York Giants fans hoping the club will soon hire former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh as its next head coach were understandably discouraged to learn that Harbaugh reportedly “would like to select his own” general manager at his next NFL stop.
The Giants retained general manager Joe Schoen following the 2025 regular season, while the Atlanta Falcons currently have no GM employed and are an alleged favorite to win the Harbaugh sweepstakes. During a Tuesday appearance on New York sports radio station WFAN, NFL insider Jordan Schultz addressed whether or not Schoen’s presence could cause Harbaugh to choose the Falcons over the Giants.
Is John Harbaugh open to working with Joe Schoen?
“I don’t believe, based on what I’ve been told, that there’s a prerequisite for John Harbaugh to say, ‘I have to pick my GM.’ This is not that situation,” Schultz revealed, per Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “He wants a lot of say over personnel, but he’s not going to say, ‘I can’t work with Joe Schoen.’ They have been ultra-aggressive. [Giants senior player personnel executive] Chris Mara, you mentioned Joe Schoen, who’s basically leading the charge. The other part, and this is probably the most important part, is John Harbaugh is only going to go to a place where he believes he can win with a quarterback, and Jaxson Dart is someone he liked a lot coming out of the draft.”
Previous reports mentioned that Schoen had “spoken directly with Harbaugh” about possibly accepting the Giants’ job. Additionally, multiple stories have noted that Harbaugh is “excited” at the thought of possibly coaching Dart, a 2025 first-round draft pick who flashed plenty of promise during his rookie season.
How John Harbaugh reportedly views the Giants this winter
“With all that in mind, I’m not willing to say that the Giants is definitively where he’s going to go, but that’s what the Giants want,” Schultz added. “And I think Harbaugh is very open and excited about the idea of coming to New York.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that Harbaugh was having an in-person visit with the Giants on Wednesday. The Giants have fulfilled the Rooney Rule requirements, meaning they could attempt to secure Harbaugh’s services before he leaves the team facility.