Chris Mara certainly took Tom Coughlin’s words about John Harbaugh to heart.
As the search for the next head coach of the Giants begins, Coughlin—the two-time Super Bowl champ—delivered a strong message by connecting John Mara’s younger brother to the recently dismissed Baltimore coach.
“Please sit down there. [to Baltimore]” Chris recounted, describing Coughlin’s directive Tuesday as the Giants welcomed Harbaugh as the 21st coach in their history.
Just before the wild-card weekend, Chris shared with the Giants’ owner his intention to drive to Baltimore and meet Harbaugh, who had quickly become a hot coaching candidate after his unexpected firing from the Ravens.
“Tom Coughlin set up my contacts. I had never spoken to John Harbaugh in my life until I went to his house,” Chris revealed to reporters.
Shortly after that pivotal meeting, Harbaugh visited the Giants’ facility and held discussions with team officials, including promising quarterback Jackson Dart, leading to news on Wednesday that they were set to work together.
The formal announcement came on Saturday that Harbaugh had accepted a five-year deal in the realm of $100 million, as Giants fans finally breathed a sigh of relief after lengthy negotiations.
He steps into a rebuilding Giants squad that finished the 2025 season with a 4-13 record and hasn’t had a winning season since 2022, when coach Brian Daboll led them to their first playoff victory since Super Bowl XLVI.
Coughlin, now 79, coached the Giants to a Super Bowl victory against New England in February 2012, four years after orchestrating one of the great upsets in history, taking down the undefeated Patriots.
His tenure with the Giants lasted from 2004 to 2015.
Since Coughlin left, the Giants have rotated through several coaches—Ben McAdoo (2016-2017), Pat Shurmur (2018-2019), Joe Judge (2020-2021), and Daboll, who was let go mid-season in November.
Harbaugh appears ready to seize this opportunity with the Giants.
