The course of NFL history changed Sunday when Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missed what would’ve been a game-winning field goal in Pittsburgh. Baltimore would’ve won the AFC North and been heading to the playoffs, and longtime head coach John Harbaugh likely would’ve remained with the franchise for at least another year. Instead, it was Mike Tomlin and the Steelers surviving and advancing to the playoffs this weekend. And on Tuesday, the Ravens officially parted ways with Harbaugh after 18 seasons. Just like that, Harbaugh became the best and most viable head coach to hit the open market since Andy Reid left the Eagles 13 years ago. There was of course the greatest coach of all-time, Bill Belichick, who left the Patriots after the 2023 season. But at 71 years old and with doubts about his ability to lead in the modern NFL, the league passed over him and he landed at UNC a year later. The only others with comparable resumes have been Sean Payton and Pete Carroll. But Payton technically retired and became a TV analyst for a year in 2022, and Carroll also stepped aside for a year in 2024 and was already 72 years old at the time. None of those coaches were available when the Giants had a vacancy, anyway. But do they now. And they can’t afford to swing and miss on this one. Harbaugh, 63, is everything that the Giants have been missing over the last 10 years as they’ve tried and failed with four different head coaches: a proven winner, a leader of men, a program builder, a culture setter. Harbaugh arrived in Baltimore in 2008 after nine years coaching under Reid with the Eagles and had immediate and prolonged success. He won 180 games (14th-most in NFL history) including at least 10 wins in 11 of his 18 seasons, a Super Bowl title in 2012, six division titles, and made the playoffs 12 times. He carries the kind of presence and gravitas that the Giants have been sorely missing in their building since they parted ways with two-time champion Tom Coughlin after the 2015 season. “There’s several criteria that we’re going to look for, leadership being an important element in the head coaching world,” GM Joe Schoen said Monday when asked about the head coach search. “Football acumen will be important. Player development is very important, having a plan for player development. We have a young quarterback. It’s going to be important that there’s a plan in terms of Jaxson’s (Dart) development, holding people accountable, and communication.” The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor reported the Giants could interview Harbaugh as soon as this weekend and that Harbaugh “has a high regard for the Giants job and for Jaxson Dart.” There are currently six head coach openings, not including the Ravens, and reportedly as many as nine teams already expressing interest in Harbaugh, which means a few teams would be willing to dump their current head coach just to acquire him. Skeptics might be wondering what happened to lead to Harbaugh’s departure from Baltimore, but this appears to be a classic case of a team simply needing a new voice after almost two decades. He never reached the Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson, but he did develop the quarterback into a two-time MVP and would’ve won more than three playoff games over the last five years without some legitimate misfortune during those runs. Besides, the Giants haven’t even made the playoffs more than once in the last nine seasons. Other top candidates as proven head coaches are Kevin Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year with the Browns, and Mike McCarthy, who led the Packers to their last Super Bowl title in 2010 and recently won 12 games in three of his five seasons with the Cowboys. Neither would be a bad hire for a franchise that has suffered double-digit losses in eight of the last nine seasons. But they don’t quite carry the same buzz when it comes to leadership and winning as Harbaugh. The most important thing for the Giants right now is to hire someone who will step into their facility and instantly command respect. No more first-time head coaches. No more taking a chance on a hot-shot coordinator who has never sat in the big chair and has to learn on the fly, especially in an environment where losing has been the norm for far too long. This is the moment for the Giants to return their flagship franchise to relevancy. It’s time to hire John Harbaugh. Greg Johnson covers the New York Giants and NFL for MediaNews Group. Reach him at [email protected]. ...read more read less