There’s Still One Significant Person Standing in the Way of John Harbaugh and the New York Giants, and They Could Ruin Everything
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
John Harbaugh got fired by the Baltimore Ravens and immediately had interest from multiple teams. The former Ravens head coach only planned to conduct interviews with three or four teams. One of those teams was the New York Giants.
The team put out an all-out blitz to ensure they got his attention over everybody else. Earlier this week, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the Giants made a $20 million-per-year offer. They wanted to show John Harbaugh just how much they wanted him.
Late Thursday night, it was reported that Harbaugh and the New York Giants are finalizing a deal to make him their new head coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that John Harbaugh and the Giants will sign the deal “barring a setback.”
It appears that a setback has arrived.
John Harbaugh And The New York Giants are Having A Power Struggle That Is Preventing A Deal
The New York Giants’ pursuit of John Harbaugh has hit an unexpected roadblock, and the fan base should be worried. Harbaugh entered the process with notable reservations about working alongside general manager Joe Schoen. That remains a problem right now.
Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News is reporting on a power control that is preventing a deal. The report says the primary issue centers on general manager Joe Schoen and the level of personnel control Harbaugh would have.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: There are rumblings that GM Joe Schoen’s role in this new dynamic could be one of the factors preventing a deal with John Harbaugh to reach the finish line, per @PLeonardNYDN
Harbaugh reportedly wanted Joe Schoen to either step down as GM or agree to a role that… pic.twitter.com/eRDUvEV493
— JPA (@jasrifootball) January 16, 2026
“There were rumblings on Friday that GM Joe Schoen’s role in this new dynamic could be one of the factors creating a hangup.
Harbaugh has more leverage right now than he has ever had before, and than he ever will have again. He has participated for years in direct personnel conversations with former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, one of the best to ever do the job, and with Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta.
There is no reason for Harbaugh to accept this job without decision-making power in personnel.
Several sources told the Daily News during the Giants’ courtship that they expected Harbaugh to either want Schoen gone or to reduce his power in the Giants’ new structure. So this should be no surprise to anyone.”
“Joe can’t negotiate,” one league source told the New York Daily News. “It becomes personal.”
Giants insider Jordan Raanan further added that the “Giants and John Harbaugh’s side are working through organizational and operational issues. Still a gap to close before the deal is signed and sealed.”
Harbaugh has all the leverage right now. If everything falls apart, this will look terrible for the Giants. They came into this offseason needing to make a splash in several areas on the team. Adding Harbaugh could’ve answered a bunch of them with his hiring alone.
