The New York Giants Hire John Harbaugh as Next Head Coach

The Giants got their guy. Last Wednesday night, word broke that John Harbaugh will be the next head coach of the New York Giants.

The Giants pulled out all the stops to get Harbaugh. This includes sending front office official Chris Mara to Baltimore Sunday to meet unofficially with the free agent. Then, the Giants played host to the 63 year old Wednesday in New Jersey for the day.

Harbaugh left East Rutherford last night with no known deal in place, but one developed soon after. He previously planned to meet with the Titans and Falcons later this week. Those plans have changed as he has now committed to being a New York Giant.

The Giants had franchise legends call Harbaugh in an effort to get the job done, like Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin, among others.

It helps that Harbaugh had the Giants at the top of his list as well. Working with Jaxson Dart intrigued Harbaugh. Dart was on hand to meet with Harbaugh at the Giants facility Wednesday.

General Manager Joe Schoen will not be an issue in this situation. Harbaugh will have a say in the Giants roster and coordinator decisions, which is a good thing for the Giants. They had a conversation with Schoen, per reports, prior to the Wednesday visit, and it was made clear the two could work together.

He has already has recruited Todd Monken to be the Offensive Coordinator, baring any head coaching opportunities.

The Giants needed a CEO to come in and be "The Guy" to restore glory to the franchise. They just did, and made him one of the highest paid head coaches in the NFL.

Official Announcement

It took over 48 hours for the two sides -- Harbaugh and the Giants -- to work through negotiations. The hold up in announcement was due to the organizational structure mostly. Things were discussed during the meeting with the two sides, but Harbaugh's camp wanted to ensure that everything was in writing.

“I’m proud and honored to the head coach of this historic franchise" Harbaugh told ESPN in wake of the announcement. "But most of all, I can’t wait to get started with the great players on this football team to see what we can accomplish together.”

"I report to John Mara." Harbaugh told The Athletic. He also insisted he is excited to work with Schoen.

"I think the Giants roster is strong and it's our job to make it stronger. We are going to compete for the playoffs and for championships. I expect and want to make the playoffs next year."

The deal became official Saturday afternoon. The Giants announced a press conference for Tuesday afternoon.