EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants introduced John Harbaugh on Tuesday as the 21st head coach in the team’s storied history. But with 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl win on his resume, he comes with a stronger pedigree and more power than most, if not all, of his predecessors
Harbaugh, who spent 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, signed a five-year deal with the Giants that multiple league sources told ESPN is in the vicinity of $100 million. With that hefty salary comes extra responsibility and say on personnel issues.
He will report directly to ownership rather than general manager Joe Schoen. The Giants have traditionally had their coach report to the general manager, who would then report to ownership.
Not this time around.
Harbaugh and Schoen will work collaboratively and cooperatively, but it’s Harbaugh who is expected to have the stronger voice given his track record of success.
“To me it’s really not that important in the big picture, in the big scheme of things. I think it’s kind of overblown in terms of how it works,” Harbaugh said. “But the main thing is that it works and we work together. That’s kind of what I was used to and it felt like a good way to start off. I think we’re all going to work together.
“I promise you, we all report to the boss. And the boss is ownership.”
The Mara and Tisch families are the primary owners of the Giants. With John Mara battling cancer, his brother, Chris, took a more proactive role in the hiring of Harbaugh.
Chris Mara visited Harbaugh on multiple occasions, including a lunch — set up by former Giants coach Tom Coughlin — at the start of the recruitment process several weeks back. It was a premeditated approach “to act and not react.”
When all was said and done, the Giants gave Harbaugh significant power regarding personnel and the overall organization.
“I know that’s a big deal around here: ‘Final say,'” Chris Mara said. “[Harbaugh] doesn’t have final say. It’s collaborative, and he’s the first to admit that. If he has final say with everything in that building, he wouldn’t be able to do his job.
“He’s going to be the most important cog in the wheel. Let’s put it that way. But in terms of final say, this is going to be a collaborative effort between ownership, general manager and coach.”
Schoen played a significant role in the recruitment of Harbaugh. Both sides said they talked multiple times and respected each other’s knowledge of football.
They see it as a good basis for a working relationship, even if Harbaugh is the more powerful of the two.
“I’m not worried about that. I’ve been in the league for 26 years, so everywhere I’ve been, the head coach and general manager work together. That’s the only way it’s going to work,” Schoen said. “Get on the same page, go through the process. We’ve done it everywhere I’ve been, so I’m not worried about it. That’s just something on a piece of paper that doesn’t matter.
“We need to work together, and we’re going to come to the final conclusion and it’s always going to be about what’s best for the New York Giants. I have no problem with that, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Harbaugh now can get to work. He walked into Tuesday’s news conference and towards two handful of Giants players in attendance, including quarterback Jameis Winston. He shook their hands and had a quick word.
He plans on building a new culture from Day 1. That begins with finding the right players.
“For me, the No. 1 thing, is we have to have guys that love football. You just have to,” Harbaugh said. “It’s football. What are we here for? What do we do? What is this building for? It’s for football. This is a football team. We need guys that love everything about football. They love the games, they love the practices, they love the weightlifting, they love the meetings, they love the dining hall. They love every part of football. And if you love football, you’re gonna want to be here.”
It’s what Harbaugh built during his 18 seasons in Baltimore. It’s what he saw his mentor Andy Reid use as the foundation of his success in Philadelphia.
Harbaugh talked to Reid about changing places. Reid has enjoyed an extremely successful second act in Kansas City. Harbaugh said he would sign for the same success Reid has had with the Chiefs, which has included three Super Bowl wins.
Reid’s advice to Harbaugh indicated leaving Baltimore for New York might just be a positive.
“Change,” Reid said, “can be good.”
